1. honkifyoubonk's Avatar
    i dont wanna go into my whole story about what happened, because you guys could probly care less. well i got a tour for us cellular off of craigslist a couple days ago and i called the service provider to activate it and they tell me they can't because someone has reported it lost or stolen. now i know it seems fishy, i asked them, well i met the guy off craigslist at an overpass off the interstate to get the phone couldn't he have just called and reported it right after he sold it to me? they said yes, he could have. but basically i was talking to the guy through emails and the only info i have on him is his name and email address. i spent $250 on this phone and i've tried contacting him through email about getting my money back but he won't respond to them. i need a way so i can use this phone, is there any possible way i can? i have read something about an activation password, but im fairly sure the account holder of the new phone has to do that. help me!! thanks
    01-01-10 03:04 PM
  2. mrwest1990's Avatar
    damn man that really sucks. id maybe bring it to the store and see if they can do anything and tell them your story. idk man sorry thats the only advice i got. good luck tho!
    01-01-10 03:07 PM
  3. juniorfan's Avatar
    You can get the phone unlocked and use it on a GSM carrier.....
    01-01-10 03:08 PM
  4. lastraid's Avatar
    Unfortunatly there is not thie carrier will do for you. Hope you get things worked out though
    01-01-10 03:12 PM
  5. honkifyoubonk's Avatar
    You can get the phone unlocked and use it on a GSM carrier.....
    huh?

    and thanks people, i was thinking everyone was going to be a **** to me because im a noooob.
    01-01-10 03:31 PM
  6. JaunDawg's Avatar
    Did you by any chance use PayPal? Or was this a cash transaction. If you have a bill of sale, you might try a manager at the carrier and explain offering to provide proof of ownership. The problem may be that the person you bought it from was the one who stole or found it! Worth a shot though...
    01-01-10 05:28 PM
  7. honkifyoubonk's Avatar
    it was a meet up person to person deal, with cash unfortunatley. i am thinking he sold it and then called us cellular and reported it to be stolen. theres no legitament bill of sale either arg! thanks for all the help but i think im just SOL
    01-01-10 06:34 PM
  8. PRB7763's Avatar
    sorry to hear that. yup, only the owner can remove the device from the lost/stolen list. and the person who sold it to you may not necessarily be the owner either. there is no 'expiration date' either so once the device is on that list, it can never be activated by another person under the same carrier.
    01-01-10 06:48 PM
  9. MedStudent4Now's Avatar
    you can try to call the cops and tell them that the guy sold you stolen merchandise, you don't know if he reported it stolen to the carrier or if he stole it from someone

    i would try and get the police involved to force this guy to respond. your emails back and forth to him prove that you were gonna meet up with him to buy the phone from him. send him an email saying you are going to contact the police if he doesn't rectify the situation and that you're gonna tell the cops that this guy sold you stolen merchandise. im sure that'll get his attention
    01-01-10 06:51 PM
  10. honkifyoubonk's Avatar
    sorry to hear that. yup, only the owner can remove the device from the lost/stolen list. and the person who sold it to you may not necessarily be the owner either. there is no 'expiration date' either so once the device is on that list, it can never be activated by another person under the same carrier.
    well i have his name and phone and email, so shouldnt i be able to tell the people what that is and they can remove it off his account? and about the cops, i dont even want to get them involved, believe me they are not going to help me out for a $250 stolen phone.
    01-01-10 07:01 PM
  11. mfldmike's Avatar
    I second that, get the police involved.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    01-01-10 07:03 PM
  12. MedStudent4Now's Avatar
    the police will help you out, this is the only way that you'll get either your money back or the phone activated

    don't you think the cops care about someone selling stolen merchandise?

    would you want a phone call from the police asking you about selling stolen merchandise? don't let this scumbag get away with this
    01-01-10 07:04 PM
  13. Tifoso's Avatar
    You're going to have to eat the $250. Calling the police won't help and may even get you in trouble since you have no proof that you purchased this particular device from someone and didn't steal it yourself.
    01-01-10 07:09 PM
  14. MedStudent4Now's Avatar
    thats not how the law works tifoso, he has proof he was going to purchase the phone from this guy in his emails. he would get in absolutely no trouble unless he bought the phone with something illegal (i.e. gave the guy $250 worth of cocaine, partook in human trafficking, or traded the guy stolen merchandise for stolen merchandise, etc...)
    01-01-10 07:25 PM
  15. Tifoso's Avatar
    thats not how the law works tifoso, he has proof he was going to purchase the phone from this guy in his emails. he would get in absolutely no trouble unless he bought the phone with something illegal (i.e. gave the guy $250 worth of cocaine, partook in human trafficking, or traded the guy stolen merchandise for stolen merchandise, etc...)
    Are you a cop, lawyer or judge? Stick to medicine and leave the legal stuff to those of us that are actually in the profession.
    01-01-10 08:23 PM
  16. Jude526's Avatar
    am so sorry to hear this happening to you. So many people get screwed this way and if you don't know what you are doing, this can easily happen. And the same with ebay with buying a used phone. Always ask for the esn and if they ask why tell them you want to make sure it is a clean phone and you do this before you even give the person money. My first clue to this being fishy was where you had met the guy. It would had been better at a Starbucks where there are lots of people around and you could use a phone to see if the esn is good. I sold a phone on craigslist but I am honest. Not everyone is. You have to probably take this as an expensive lesson. I don't know what recourse you will have.

    You take a risk with making purchases on Craigslist. And this person knew what he was doing. Never meet someone in an isolated area that should had been your first clue.

    The police won't be able to do anything for you. I have no idea what you can do.
    You are a victim. You could post a warning on Craigslist warning people to not deal with this person under the personals in Craigslist.

    I would just go to a carrier and get a new activation with contract and you can get the BB at a new customer discount price. And if your credit is good you can most likely charge the phone. Verizon corporate stores allow this. I used to sell wireless. hey.............if you are a COSCO member, they have wireless inside their warehouses Verizon is one of the carriers....I don't know if they have BB but you will get free activation but you have to pay for the phone upfront. Just a thought.
    01-01-10 08:40 PM
  17. LawP's Avatar
    You don't need to be a COSCO or BJ's member to use the verizon stores. I bought my Storm there a year ago and then again with my personal Tour and they didn't require a membership. On topic - you should call the police, will they help you? Perhaps not, but you never know if he has done it before, and your report may help the next person who deals with him. There is nothing to lose from contacting the police and everything to gain. I hope it works out for you and happy new year!

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    01-01-10 09:03 PM
  18. ceb's Avatar
    Are you a cop, lawyer or judge? Stick to medicine and leave the legal stuff to those of us that are actually in the profession.
    From your earlier comment it appears unlikely that you are in any way, shape or form even remotely connected to law enforcement or the legal system.

    To the OP:

    The cell company cannot and will not reactivate a phone once it was reported stolen unless the account holder requests it. Forget about trying to convince the phone company otherwise.

    You are now in a bit of a pickle as you currently are in possession of a phone that you know has been reported stolen. You can either report the transaction to the police and help them contact the guy who sold you the phone or you can wait for the cops to come knocking on your door.

    The guy who sold you the phone either found it or stole it - he has no incentive to report it stolen himself after he sold it to you.

    Buying phones on Craigslist is very risky. Your best bet it always to complete the transaction in a phone store - that way you can be sure that the phone is ready to be reactivated and the seller can be equally sure that you won't hit him over the head and steal the phone. Meeting a seller at a highway underpass is not the best way to buy a phone.

    Oh - unlocking a stolen phone and using it on a GSM network still makes it a stolen phone.
    01-01-10 09:14 PM
  19. MedStudent4Now's Avatar
    Are you a cop, lawyer or judge? Stick to medicine and leave the legal stuff to those of us that are actually in the profession.
    and your expert advice is to eat the $250 loss.... you sound like someone that sells stolen phones and doesn't want to be reported to the police

    if he has any chance of getting his money back, he's going to have to do it through the legal system (which doesn't always work, but its still worth a shot)
    01-01-10 09:44 PM
  20. w1z4rd's Avatar
    If you are in the profession you shouldn't be. What you posted above is entirely without merit. He has the craigslist ad, the guys name amd email address. Even if the name and email address is phony the purchaser is not culpable for recieving stolen property. He SHOULD contact the police so this moron doesn't scam someone else. If the phone was his and he reported it stolen he's guilty of fraud. If he stole the phone he is guilty of theft. Either way it's a matter for the police.
    01-01-10 09:45 PM
  21. andy957's Avatar
    You could post a warning on Craigslist warning people to not deal with this person under the personals in Craigslist.
    That is strictly prohibited by the Craigslist TOU. Just take a gander at the help desk forum there and you'll see.

    You can also, however, report this transaction to Craigslist staff by filling out this form and selecting law enforcement as your choice. Give them as much info as possible.

    Also, unfortunately, as the CL pages state, it's buyer beware. It's a shame there are such scumbags out there who pull stunts like this, because people who are honest and decent get a raw deal.

    Good luck.
    Last edited by andy957; 01-01-10 at 10:11 PM.
    01-01-10 10:06 PM
  22. Tifoso's Avatar
    I think nearly 20 years in law enforcement gives me the merit to post what I did.

    1. The OP is never getting his money back. It's just not going to happen. Sorry, but that's just the way it goes sometimes. No receipt, no proof of purchase.

    2. If the phone was stolen, what are the odds that this guy used his real name, email and phone# ? Anyone can make up a phony email address and phone numbers are easy to come by too with pay as you go cell phones. That's why drug dealers love them so much.

    3. I never said that the OP would definitely get in trouble. I said it may cause him trouble. And is the possibilty that the OP could be accused of theft worth the attempt to recover the $250 that I already said he would never get back? In my mind it isn't. Let it be reminder to be careful who you do business with.

    For the most part, the OP likely wouldn't be liable for unknowingly buying stolen goods. But this isn't guaranteed and since the probability of him getting a refund is nil, why take the risk?
    Last edited by Tifoso; 01-01-10 at 10:36 PM.
    01-01-10 10:30 PM
  23. w1z4rd's Avatar
    If that's really your take on it, I say you are one of the reasons the country is in the shape it's in. I know, I know, 250 isn't worth "getting involved in" right? No such thing as due diligence correct? Like I said, no wonder the crime is what it is in this nation. He should report it, period.

    Edit: Just called my neighbor, Pa state trooper, in this state at least, reporting it would in no way bring legal problems to the op, not reporting and keeping it would make him guilty of receiving stolen property. In other words, unknowingly purchasing a stolen item and doing the "proper thing" finds you in no trouble, keeping an item you find to be stolen...trouble.
    Last edited by w1z4rd; 01-01-10 at 11:24 PM.
    01-01-10 11:09 PM
  24. solesolace's Avatar
    Just for informational purposes, e-mails are legal documents. They are date/time 'stamped' and with a little computer know-how you can obtain the IP address of the comp where they originated. I would contact the police. Just my two cents.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    01-01-10 11:18 PM
  25. dave3825us's Avatar
    well i have his name and phone and email, so shouldnt i be able to tell the people what that is and they can remove it off his account? and about the cops, i dont even want to get them involved, believe me they are not going to help me out for a $250 stolen phone.
    They have to, its their job

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    01-01-10 11:50 PM
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