New Website to List Stolen iPods
Thursday, October 25, 2007 at 1:06PM Frustrated victims of iPod theft often turn to Craigslist to post a message about the crime hoping someone may be able to help. The problem, the post on Craigslist usually expires within a couple of weeks. A new stolen property registry website hopes to help.
Stolen911.com allows anyone to post a free message just like popular classified sites. Users can post the typical information, what, when, where, reward, etc. Photos can be added and videos can be linked. The difference is that Stolen911.com lists the item for 1 year. This gives the listing plenty of time to be indexed by the major search engines like Google and Yahoo. If someone bought an iPod they think might be stolen, they can search Stolen911.com to see if its been listed or enter the serial number of the iPod in a search engine. The hope is the iPod’s serial number was listed on Stolen911.com and would be found by the search engine. If the iPod still has not been recovered when the year is up, the user can re-list the iPod for another year. If its recovered, the user can remove the post or tell the story of the stolen iPod’s recovery. Of course, the quality of each post is only as good and the information submitted. Entering the stolen iPod’s serial number is very important. (See related post on how to find your stolen iPod’s serial number on iTunes) A field is also available to list any special engravings the stolen iPod may have.
One more great thing about Stolen911.com is the website is searchable by everyone, not just law enforcement. Still, Stolen911.com suggests the following when your iPod is stolen…
• Get the serial number off your iTunes software if you don’t have it written down (How to)
• Make a police report
• Notify Apple
• List the stolen iPod on Stolen911.com
• List it on the internet as many places as possible, Craigslist, MySpace, Facebook, and other stolen property registry sites.
Other features of Stolen911.com include the ability for the user to leave as much or as little information as possible. Your email, phone numbers, etc won’t be displayed unless you allow it. Viewers can send an anonymous tip regarding a stolen item to Stolen911.com with out revealing their identity.
Stolen911.com is not just for iPods. Anything can be listed as stolen. Other popular stolen items include stolen pets, musical equipment, motorcycles, cars, gps devices, satellite radios, computers, etc. Best of all its FREE. List your stolen iPod here.
Reader Comments (9)
Apparently apple is willing to track down its stolen computers. Some computers were stolen from a store and when apple had someone call who was shopping on ebay and ask if the computer was legitimate apple knew it was one of the computers from the store and called the police who found and arrested the thieves.
Does apple have a different policy for computers than ipods or a different policy for items taken diretly from a store as opposed to from a private person?
Apparently store owners know all the serail numbers of the comps they are selling. Why dont store owners know the serial numbers of the ipods they sell? Or do they?
And how did the woman shopping on ebay know what the serial number of the comp was? Is it listed on the outside of the box or were the thieves stupid enough to post it and if it is listed on the outside of the box why can ipods also have their serial number listed on the outside of the box so ebay shoppers can call and ask if they are stolen or not?
Here is the link to the story-
http://starbulletin.com/2003/06/29/news/story2.html
it is Stolen911.net
Let's say you lost an iPod to theft and that the iPod cost you $350.
Then someone say, "Hey, I've got a great idea! You can post your stolen iPod on stolen911.com. Just offer a reward!!"
So, what are you going to do, offer a $100 reward for the return of your iPod and then sit around and wait...and wait...and wait...and wait...and wait...and wait...and wait...and wait...and wait...and wait...and wait...and wait...and wait...and wait...and wait...and wait...and wait...and wait...and wait...and wait...and wait...and wait...and wait...and wait...and wait...and wait...and wait...and wait...
...and wait (some more) with the HOPE that maybe, somehow, someday, someone will return it?
No.
You're going to go out and get another iPod. Then, are you going to want to offer a reward for your OLD iPod? No!
This is a feel good (at best) "strategy". It does nothing and I'd be stunned (absolutely STUNNED) if a single, solitary iPod has ever been found and returned because it's been posted to a "stolen property" site. Just ain't going to happen.
Apple needs to step up to the plate and (1) deactivate iTunes for serial numbers tied to stolen iPods and (2) report the ISP of the jerks trying to use iTunes to feed their stolen iPods with new music.
That's the ONLY thing that would work.
the link to stolen911.com does not work
want to hear something pathetic? my son had some friends over last weekend..His ipod disappeared..and the most pathetic thing about it is that my son is 10 years old. So, the thief who took it is also 10 years old, and is in the same classroom..pretty pathetic isnt it?
10 year old, stealing ipods..how disgusting.
pathetic? pathetic is having your ipod stolen out of your bag by the person sitting behind you in history class while you take a test and so your bag is on the floor.pathetic is knowing EXACTLY who took it, going to the deans, and them not being able to find anything becuase of course by then its passed around or sold. pathetic is knowing that they are going to get away with it and that apple is completely worthless because you cant even call them to track it down like they do with those computers. SERIOUSLY. thank you, apple, for all your help.
so today i brought my fiances things out to the car and his ipod classic most expensive one on the market right now was in his backpack and i locked the car went into the house for not even 5 min and when i returned to the car the ipod was gone .....i reported it to the police but what good is that its like a needle in a hay stack
Perhaps financial incentive in the form of a class action lawsuit of owners whose iPods where stolen would freeup ISP information from Apple
i agree with all, its a disgrace of how pathetic apple is,i mean, using the serial number to track your ipod is very easy, but WHY DONT THEY DO IT, being able to help, but not doing it is an acomplice to the crime, me and my brothers ipod had been stolen, but no, there is no such thing as tracking a ipod via a serial number.