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"You should report it to the police though...."

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Q. Lost ipod and having it's serial number? what next?

well i've heard that if your ipod is stolen and you have it's serial number that you can take that serial number and give it to the police....well i have the serial number of my lost ipod touch ....what do i do next? do i just go have my parents call the police and call them from there? is there a possible chance that they might find it? or is there no possible way at all?....i don't know how the "tracing the ipod to the theif's computer" works...explain?? it's actually "stolen" sorry not lost... :(

"An apple store i don't think the police actually do anything or really care..."

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Q. How can i find out if local police investigator is being truthful?

a police investigator called my mom and dad's house and said that someone had been using their address as a registered business address online and do not deliver the products. my mom told him it's nobody from her house. my 27 year old brother and my parents are the only ones who live there and my brother was home at the time. the investigator even told my mom it's illegal to sell online, she believed him, but i told her he's lying. the cop made it sound like this "so-called" business had done so many fraudulent transactions and even said that they sold an ipod for $200 but the customer never received it. and that's why they are conducting an investigation. he told my mom that he will be coming over to ask some questions. my mom then called me and informed me of what's going on. my mom has a thick accent, btw. they live in a very nice neighborhood with nice and big homes. so anyway, when she told me the things the cop told her, it didn't really make any sense to me. first, if this business used their address and made some business transactions online, i am almost 100% the local law enforcement or the fbi as he called themselves, would be able to track down the ip address of the suspect and the bank account in which they were paid to would also be easily traced. so they came to my parents house and asked to see their computers. which i thought was also weird because by searching their computers, it looked to me like they are making my family a suspect, but they never read them their rights to remain silent and have lawyer present. he also saw some big boxes in the house (my mom shops for her sister who lives overseas and some are christmas presents) and the cop rudely asks my mom for the receipts. i am infuriated inside, after she told me this. she don't know much about her legal rights and stuff like that. she and my dad are very nice, hard-working people who thinks the cops or someone in a higher position of power can do whatever they want. she also said he mentioned my name and asked if i used to live there. well, duh. that irritated me more. i live in the same town, they should know that. it was obvious to me that they were there for something else, not this ipod business. i asked her for the cop's name and number to get things straight. so i asked him what's going on and what is this thing that they're investigating. he said that someone used my parents' address to conduct a business online but never sent the product. get this, i asked how many transactions were done, he said one! a $200 ipod was sold online under a business name with their address. i asked for the business name and he couldn't even give me the full name of this so-called fraudulent business. i asked him why couldn't they just track the perpetrator through the ip address, he said that's why he needed to check out their computer, so they can see if it matches. ??? with today's technology, i know they could trace the physical location of the other ip address. then i asked why couldn't they trace the bank account the money was deposited to, he paused and stuttered a little and said "the way it was done, was different". he said he apologize if he scared my mom and that it's probably nothing from the house. i confirmed it again that it's not from their home. (i really think he was lying) so can anyone please tell me if this scenario sounds fishy to you also? if someone buys a 200 dollar item online, the next step is to dispute it with your credit card company, not conduct a police investigation (he even said they're fbi). i know that for a fact, at least. especiall when he added that the transaction occurred just one or two weeks ago. it's a lie and i want to know how i can find out their real motive and how we can file a complaint for privacy and legal rights violation. sorry this was too long. to paper p, i don't think that anyone even used my parents' address for this "so-called ripoff". and you're right it's not 2001 anymore, there are so many other ways of finding out who that person is. and you cannot get a police order if the transaction is only 2 weeks prior. even ebay don't do their own investigation within such an early time frame. and in order for you to get paid online, you need a bank account. they could have traced that first. for the amount that he says it was for, the time frame, the number of times it happened and the company name he gave me which i cannot find online, do not make sense altogether. i assure you this, my family has nothing to hide and had never been in trouble. we know for a fact that we are clean, my parents and brother have clean records, they don't need to steal. my question is, how can i find out if that was a legit claim. ummm paper p, don't you dare call me a fraudster. you obviously know nothing about anything. with your little input, there are laws, hun. $200 is not an fbi job. he gave me the name of the company, but no record online. so you shouldn't be answering any questions if you know crap. ed, i don't live there idiot. to rod, that's what i thought at first as well, they may not be from the police department. but after i verified the number that he called from with my mom, and looked up his name online, he is a press spokesperson for the department. like i said before, i am not worried that they are in trouble, i am just concerned about the invasion of privacy. they searched their laptops without a warrant and asked for my parents' receipts like they stole those items. no way. my parents have been law abiding citizens who worked their buns off. my mom did provide them with the receipts. but i still think because she has a thick accent, they took advantage and disrespected her rights. whatever the reason of their contact or investigation, i believe they were wrong for treating her like a suspect, but never formally read her rights. the only thing i could think of would be someone i am not fond of, filing a bogus report. i honestly can't think of anything else. my parents don't have enemies, i do.

"Under no obligation to speak to the police..."