Been Robbed Recently? Check Ebay 229
fistfullast33l writes "A man from Great Neck, Long Island has been arrested on charges of stealing electronic equipment and selling it on Ebay. The police were tipped off when one of his alleged victims was searching for a replacement GPS device and found a perfect match on eBay — almost too perfect. A quick check of the serial number (note to cyber-criminals: don't post those) showed that it was the exact device that had been stolen." From the article: "Police and prosecutors were hesitant to provide details of how they determined all the devices had been stolen, but at least two of the laptops were stamped 'Property of St. John's University.' Detective Ray Cote noted that the GPS devices specifically had the addresses of the legitimate owners programmed in and police were now contacting those victims to eventually return the items."
note to cyber-criminals: don't post those (Score:3, Insightful)
Idiots (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:What happens to the buyers? (Score:3, Insightful)
They will certainly not get into trouble for the purchase of stolen goods, and if they do, any reasonable judge would automatically acquit them.
Unless eBay was being used to launder them...
Re:note to cyber-criminals: don't post those (Score:3, Insightful)
In general you don't need to know the whole serial, only part of it, but I don't think there's any reason for an honest person to care. If someone was refusing to disclose the serial number, I'd start to wonder what was up. That would definitely set off my "hot goods" alarm. That's sorta like picking up an item in a store and finding out that it has the SKU or serial number removed from the packaging.
good to know that.... (Score:3, Insightful)
Because
Serial #s (Score:5, Insightful)
You don't know most thieves (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Dilemma (Score:2, Insightful)
Would you rather be beaten with a nickel chain or a lead pipe?
No, really: "FUCK YOU," you thief apologist!
Scarcity is no free-pass to a black market of fenced stolen goods.
Re:Idiots (Score:2, Insightful)
As to the status of the police, also correct to a degree, you have to take into account that the police are bound not just by the laws that you and I are but by a second set that governs, and restricts, their conduct to the point that even though they may KNOW that someone is guilty, even to where they have evidence of someones guilt, unless it was collected in accordence with the laws protecting a citizens civil rights or is from a source that would be credible to a jury its useless. I've know several cases where the police had the person dead to rights, but they couldn't hold them due to some technicality or flaw in the way the evidence was collected, so they walked. The only thing that kept me from staying really pissed is the fact that the laws that let them walk are the same laws that would also let me walk if someone wanted to plant evidence against me.
The Law is a double edged sword, one side cuts the wicked, the other defends the inocent. At least that how it is supposed to work, its still evolving.
Re:Want to be robbed soon? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Fourth path... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:What happens to the buyers? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Serial #s (Score:3, Insightful)
It wouldn't necessarily be the buyer confirming the serial number, but victims of theft who know what they're looking for that check them out. So no, it's not really the serial number that's giving the purchaser reassurance; its the fact that the serial number was published, and the sale hasn't been taken down yet that gives the faith.
As to the registration argument, the only reason I've registered any of my devices is to streamline warranty claims, which isn't really applicable, since you still need the busted device to claim warranty.
Re:What happens to the buyers? (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:The Seattle Police were not as curious (Score:2, Insightful)