Stolen iphone got sold to electronic shop, what now?

[Bangkok Barry]

2 hours ago, Colabamumbai said:

He knowingly bought srolen property

How do you know that? The thief could have said it was his phone that he wanted to sell. I doubt that, instead, he asked if they would buy this phone he'd stolen.

[kennw]

9 hours ago, CharlieH said:

You can talk to the shop and reach an agreement or go to the Police, make a formal report and ask them to accompany you to recover your property.

But the police "report" may be more expensive.

[kennw]

5 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

How do you know that? The thief could have said it was his phone that he wanted to sell. I doubt that, instead, he asked if they would buy this phone he'd stolen.

Then the seller/thief should be able to unlock the phone in front of the buyer (of stolen goods)

[Bangkok Barry]

13 minutes ago, kennw said:

Then the seller/thief should be able to unlock the phone in front of the buyer (of stolen goods)

Assuming it was locked.

[Caldera]

A shop owner who buys a locked iPhone surely knows that it was stolen and buys stolen property routinely, so I'd be cautious when dealing with him.

[JimTripper]

Goto the shop and tell them it’s stolen and you want it back. That’s it. Tell them it’s traceable and all your info is on it. You have it on the map now. Unlock it there to show it’s yours, but re-lock it before you hand it back. You could also call the phone from another phone to show it’s yours if it rings or has notifications enabled.

 

don’t mention money, just stall, they don’t know what to do, but know it can be traced there, they are smiling but sweating inside, because they know they are profiting from stolen merchandise…

Edited June 6, 2023 by JimTripper

[Dexxter]

If it was my phone I would be asking to shop owner to hold it for me while I rush to the shop. I would be paying the 2000 baht and consider myself lucky to have my phone back. It is not just the physical phone that is important to me but also the contents, all my photos, contacts, apps, etc. I do have a lot of stuff on my phone backed up elsewhere but it would till be a major time-consuming hassle to buy a new phone and try to remember all the installed apps and content. 2000 baht to save a lot of time and effort, as well as the cost of a new phone is most certainly worth it for me.

[The Theory]

13 hours ago, abaganov2 said:

My iphone got stolen

Who stole your phone ? Do you know the thief ? 
why didn't you report it ? 

[FritsSikkink]

Go to the shop, tell him you want your phone back. See how he reacts. If he wants more money than you want to pay, tell him you get the police involved and they will check every item in his shop if it is stolen or not and will come back every month until he gives the names and address of the thieves involved with the stolen items.

Edited June 6, 2023 by FritsSikkink

[Stevemercer]

So did the OP get his phone back?

[OneMoreFarang]

6 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

Go to the shop, tell him you want your phone back. See how he reacts. If he wants more money than you want to pay, tell him you get the police involved and they will check every item in his shop if it is stolen or not and will come back every month until he gives the names and address of the thieves involved with the stolen items.

Please tell us where to find such police officer who "will check every item in his shop if it is stolen or not and will come back every month". 

 

It's amazing how many people in this thread think the shop owner will be scared when someone mentions the police. Who or what gives you that idea?

[Sigma6]

13 hours ago, abaganov2 said:

with find my phone app, 

 

4 hours ago, Troy Tempest said:

Both Android and iOS have built-in tracking features that allow you to locate your phone remotely. These features work even if your phone doesn't have a SIM card, as long as it's connected to Wi-Fi.

Find my iphone requires a data connection.  If a phone is stolen normally the first thing the thief does is remove the sim card.  To join a new wifi network the phone needs to be unlocked - so its unlikely that at the shop the phone had a data connection, hence my asking - unless; 

1. The phone was using an esim which would then need unlocking to disable it
2. The phone auto logged in to a known public WiFi.

Turning the phone off would prevent these 2 possibilities.

Find my iphone is very good, but precise location is hard in people dense areas, especially indoors such as a shopping mall, in which case you would know which mall, but it would be quite tricky to identify which floor, which shop.

[FritsSikkink]

31 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Please tell us where to find such police officer who "will check every item in his shop if it is stolen or not and will come back every month". 

 

It's amazing how many people in this thread think the shop owner will be scared when someone mentions the police. Who or what gives you that idea?

Got a couple of family members and friends who will gladly do the favor. They will be scared.

[Jumbo1968]

Slightly off t topic, I misplaced my iPhone in Dubai airport, think I left it in security,  I tracked it using Find my Phone, emailed Dubai Security with a Google map showing its location, no reply. I sent an email to one of the travel correspondents in the National press in the U.K.

Dubai Airport must have read it, I got my phone replaced next time I went through the airport, met with a couple of Arabs in white ‘suits’ presented with the new phone then escorted to the Business Lounge.

I got here, phone wouldn’t work, contacted Dubai Airport, next trip there was a replacement phone waiting for me, both iPhones were upgrades from the one I misplaced.

[Sigma6]

7 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

A question to the expert iPhone users: What can a shop do with a bricked iPhone?

I saw lots of videos from Louis Rossman, who is an electronic specialist, who concentrates on Apple products.

It seems to be my now almost everything on those phones in serialized, so it is not even possible to use parts from a bricked phone to repair other phones. Or not?

A few parts could be used, like the screen, speakers, mics etc.  Nothing on the motherboard.  Its worth a fraction of its value bricked.

It may be possible now to unbrick an iPhone, but I think its technically pretty hard, and the phone is severely hobbled - like you need to re-jailbreak it to reboot the phone - so most people wouldnt buy into this.

Thats the worst part of having your 40k phone nicked; knowing they gonna make maybe 3k from it....

Which is why i suggested he buys is back from the shop - its possible the shop is involved in the theft, at the minimum he knowingly buys stolen goods - but if he did actually pay for the stolen goods, he won't want to lose that money.  For me its worth 2k to get all my pics and data back with my phone.

[richard_smith237]

5 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

7 hours ago, Colabamumbai said:

He knowingly bought srolen property

How do you know that? The thief could have said it was his phone that he wanted to sell. I doubt that, instead, he asked if they would buy this phone he'd stolen.

Easy to know with an iPhone....  

 

Just turn it on... If the owner can log in and access the phone, reset it etc for the owner, then its obviously their phone (or they know the access codes at least). 

 

IF the phone cannot be opened (i.e. the seller can’t login / get access to the phone), its not their Phone and the shop owner is knowingly purchasing something which is likely stolen goods. 

 

 

[richard_smith237]

48 minutes ago, Stevemercer said:

So did the OP get his phone back?

I’d like to know the answer to this too... 

 

What is the end result..  a Lost or stolen phone is something which could happen to any of us. 

I’m able to wipe the data remotely, so security is not such a great concern - But, I’d want my phone back.

 

So... It would be useful to know how the Op went about resolving this issue.

 

 

[DJ54]

Coppers May not ask for money….. a few weeks back a lady left her phone in a taxi or Tuk Tuk 

they did a find my phone and located the Tuk Tuk… if I remember correctly driver said he didn’t have it until the coppers knew it was in the taxi… she got it back without coppers fee…

[geisha]

I’d go with someone if I were you and make an offer.

[richard_smith237]

14 minutes ago, DJ54 said:

Coppers May not ask for money….. a few weeks back a lady left her phone in a taxi or Tuk Tuk 

they did a find my phone and located the Tuk Tuk… if I remember correctly driver said he didn’t have it until the coppers knew it was in the taxi… she got it back without coppers fee…

Yup... They’re not all bad and many of us have been helped by the Police from time to time. 

 

I recall breaking down on the expressway (in Bangkok) and they were very helpful at ‘getting’ the lane blocked and getting the car towed off the expressway... Part of their Job of course. 

 

I’ve also had fair dealings with the BiB when involved in a car accident. 

 

However... I'd still have very low expectations if walking into a station and asking for assistance with something such as theft of a phone or theft at my house etc without pulling strings and using connections to get them off their backsides. 

[Maestro]

Removed an incomprehensible troll post (LOFS)

[richard_smith237]

1 minute ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

If he wont give it back stand outside everyday with a big sign saying this shop sells stolen phones!!   also leave a forever review on google maps....hit him in his wallet and reputation..

 

be able to prove its your phone prior! ????

Because the effort and time is worth that and there are no ridiculous defamation laws in Thailand, right ????... 

 

Depending on the shop and how its handled etc... I may be inclined to offer a ‘small something’ to receive the return of my phone etc... 

BUT...   a person would be well within their rights just to look at the phone, confirm that it is theirs... and then say “Thanks, this is mine, I’m taking it”...  if the owner doesn’t like that, he’s free to call the Police. 

 

Another option of course is to ask whether or not the Owner has a copy of the Sellers ID... 

Its up to the owner to report receipt of a stolen item to the Police, but I suspect the shop knew the phone was stolen, otherwise he’d be able to ‘open it’... 

 

 

[Seth1a2a]

1 hour ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

also leave a forever review on google maps....hit him in his wallet and reputation..

Even if you're right, there could be an unexpected consequence to punishing a pirate in Thailand.

US man spends two nights in jail for writing negative review of Thailand hotel

https://www.indiatoday.in/trending-news/story/us-man-spends-two-nights-in-jail-for-review-of-thailand-hotel-faces-up-to-seven-years-in-prison-1728191-2020-10-04

 

[richard_smith237]

1 hour ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

Because the effort and time is worth that and there are no ridiculous defamation laws in Thailand, right ????... 

 

Depending on the shop and how its handled etc... I may be inclined to offer a ‘small something’ to receive the return of my phone etc... 

BUT...   a person would be well within their rights just to look at the phone, confirm that it is theirs... and then say “Thanks, this is mine, I’m taking it”...  if the owner doesn’t like that, he’s free to call the Police. 

 

Another option of course is to ask whether or not the Owner has a copy of the Sellers ID... 

Its up to the owner to report receipt of a stolen item to the Police, but I suspect the shop knew the phone was stolen, otherwise he’d be able to ‘open it’... 

 

 

Expand  

its not defamation if its true..hence my post about being able to prove it prior....

 

truth needs no support...telling lies is another story......so thai law would say selling a stolen phone is making the seller look bad???  id call that bluff if it were my phone.... and ive left reviews on google maps based on facts and my exps...still there years later...(im not foolish enough to leave my identity on those reviews as well-but they are facts)

Thailands defamation laws are cloudy and the truth is not always considered a valid defence. 

 

Under Thailand Criminal code (section 330) Truth is not a defence if such imputation concerns personal matters and such proof will not be of benefit to the public.

 

I do agree though - leave anonymous reviews...  Better still, just rock up and get the phone back. 

 

I’m not sure what can stop the owner (Op) walking away with his phone - obviously gauge the situation. 

Once he has ‘his phone’ in his hand, he is in the position to make the right decision - Take a Thai with him and if he faces any grief, call the police at the first hint of escalation. 

 

 

 

 

 

[richard_smith237]

1 hour ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

id be outside daily telling customers walking in...id get MY phone back....and dont these shops require an ID to buy used phones or are they in on the "heist".....

Would you pay any attention to a Westerner standing outside a mall or shop telling people not to use it ???....

 

I’d just think the fool has a screw loose and just ignore him.

It takes a certain type of nut to make a public nuisance of themselves over such matters. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[snowgard]

19 hours ago, BenStark said:

Wrong guess, it will most likely cost you money to get the police interested, and then you probably still have to pay the shop owner.

 

My advice is, if the phone is worth much more than that, pay him and be done with it.

 

Other option is to get as much recorded evidence where the shop owner admits he has your phone, then go to the police

This they maybe do only with dumbheads. Normal people been not asked for money. ????

Edited June 6, 2023 by snowgard

[Jumbo1968]

No idea why he doesn’t just go to the shop, what’s he scared of ?

[BenStark]

9 minutes ago, snowgard said:

This they maybe do only with dumpheads. Normal people been not asked for money. ????

You mean the kind that can't spell dumbheads?

[snowgard]

18 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I agree with this. Which police officer will use his time to go to the shop with or without you just because he wants to help you? 

 

Another way, which could maybe work, is call Apple. They might be interested to know which shops are buying stolen phone(s). And maybe they will help you.

 

And then there is of course the possibility that tomorrow there is no phone in that shop anymore. Must have been a misunderstanding. That's my guess.

 

Last but not least, don't play the hero! Thailand has a lot of organized crime. Don't try to fight the mafia because of a phone! You can only loose. And losing your phone is the smallest of the risks. 

 

What a stupid comment. Do you ever reported here something to the police? I think not. Otherwise you had experienced that they can work very well and drive with you to the shop.
Specialy in Pattaya. And if you really meet a unwilling police officer, just call to a newspaper and you will be surprised how fast the case is closed.

And Apple can't do something other as maybe lock the phone.

Edited June 6, 2023 by snowgard

[snowgard]

6 minutes ago, BenStark said:

You mean the kind that can't spell dumbheads?

No, this guy just pressed a wrong letter!!!

Edited June 6, 2023 by snowgard