Phone advice

Looking for a little advice even though I'm not sure this is the right place to post. About 2 weeks ago I bought an iPhone that I was told was iCloud locked already but I was just planning on using it for parts anyways so that wasn't my concern. It was dead when I bought it which wasn't a huge deal since I just needed parts. When I got home and finally got it on I saw it had the lost iPhone message on the home screen so I figured I would message the number and tell them I bought the phone and if they wanted it they could pay me what I bought it for because I'm not trying to just be out here buying phones to give back to people. I'm in college so I just do some side work to make enough money to finish school. I've waited 2 weeks for them to decide if they wanted to buy it from me but they didn't want to pay anything. I originally messaged them off a texting app for my safety but checked it again today and had a message from the local police department a king me to call them. I figure they can get the IP address for my phone since I downloaded the texting app on it. My question is, is it worth it to call the police back on my real phone and tell them everything and risk losing my money I paid for it originally, or is this something they won't pursue anymore. I understand the more ethical thing to do but as stated before I'm in college low on funds so I would benefit financially more from just using the parts. On the same hand, by no means am I trying to get in trouble with the law, and I do have some proof of previous Facebook messages with the person I bought the phone from in the first place. Any feedback is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.


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officialcsmith said:

My question is, is it worth it to call the police back on my real phone and tell them everything and risk losing my money I paid for it originally, or is this something they won't pursue anymore.

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That is a decision you alone must make.

While you decide what to do, you'll be damned if you do, or damned if you don't.

If you didn't steal the device, you still took possession of it.

Stealing property is a crime, as is the trafficking and possession of stolen property.

officialcsmith said:

On the same hand, by no means am I trying to get in trouble with the law, and I do have some proof of previous Facebook messages with the person I bought the phone from in the first place.

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The messages you purport to have might exculpate you from the theft charge, it won't in anyway exculpate you from a charge of possession stolen property.

Bottom line, it all depends on how aggressively the district attorney in the county where the theft occurred pursues crime, along with the investigating law enforcement agency.

If I were sitting in your seat, I'd stop buying things from sources you know nothing about, and I'd give the police the lousy phone to protect three things: 1) my educational pursuits; 2) my freedom and liberty; 3) my reputation.

army judge said:

That is a decision you alone must make.

While you decide what to do, you'll be damned if you do, or damned if you don't.

If you didn't steal the device, you still took possession of it.

Stealing property is a crime, as is the trafficking and possession of stolen property.




The messages you purport to have might exculpate you from the theft charge, it won't in anyway exculpate you from a charge of possession stolen property.

Bottom line, it all depends on how aggressively the district attorney in the county where the theft occurred pursues crime, along with the investigating law enforcement agency.

If I were sitting in your seat, I'd stop buying things from sources you know nothing about, and I'd give the police the lousy phone to protect three things: 1) my educational pursuits; 2) my freedom and liberty; 3) my reputation.

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Definitely understand what you mean. By no means was I trying to do anything illegal. I see hundreds of phones on Facebook that are being sold as iCloud locked so I figured I could buy one and use it as parts. I'll give the investigator a call on my lunch break and get it hopefully straightened out.


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officialcsmith said:

I see hundreds of phones on Facebook that are being sold as iCloud locked so I figured I could buy one and use it as parts.

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Besides being an attorney and judge, I'm also a cattle rancher.

Today we're running about 10,000 head of Angus (red & black), Brahman, Charolais, and Hereford cattle.

We often get approached by people who want to sell us cattle.

We refuse, choosing to do business only with other ranchers we know and official local cattle auctions.

I'd rather pay more for something legitimate to avoid destroying what its taken me decades to build, my reputation and my brand.

Granddad used to say, "Bubba, don't lose in 30 seconds what it takes a lifetime to build, your good name."

officialcsmith said:

By no means was I trying to do anything illegal.

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At this point, if you keep the phone you likely are doing something illegal. You are likely in possession of stolen property and you have given law enforcement an easy way to identify you.

You've been scammed a few possible ways, any of which would easily have been prevented by inspecting the device before purchase.

It is likely in your best interest to contact the police and arrange to return the phone.... But do a little research on the phone number they gave. You might be getting scammed again.
It seems odd to me that you received a text message from police and not a phone call, or even a knock at the door.

mightymoose said:

You might be getting scammed again.
It seems odd to me that you received a text message from police and not a phone call, or even a knock at the door.

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I agree 100%.

No matter with whom you're doing (or contemplating doing) business with, ALWAYS do your due diligence BEFORE agreeing to anything or giving the other party $1.00.

Appreciate all yalls advice! Just called up the detective and tomorrow I go in to bring the phone in, show proof of the messages between me and the person who sold me the phone, and then point at a picture of him. When I called they had already knew of the guys name for previous stolen phones. I know I was in the wrong and will own up to my part.


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officialcsmith said:

I know I was in the wrong and will own up to my part.

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No... Unless you had prior knowledge the phone was stolen you did no wrong. Upon learning it was lost/stolen you contacted the owner and have done the right thing. There is nothing to own up to.
In the event there is an arrest and conviction the court could order the thief to compensate you for your loss, but don't count on ever seeing that money.

DO NOT ADMIT OR EVEN HINT AT HAVING DONE SOMETHING WRONG WHEN YOU RETURN THIS PHONE.

The only thing I would do differently here is that I would have them come to me.

officialcsmith said:

Just called up the detective and tomorrow I go in to bring the phone in, show proof of the messages between me and the person who sold me the phone, and then point at a picture of him. When I called they had already knew of the guys name for previous stolen phones.

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Citizen, you were a victim, too.

You paid good money acting upon the representations of the scoundrel scammer.

You are out $100, $200, or $300, but you won't buy anything off of those scammers' sites, FakeBook, Craig's Scammers Playground List, or anywhere scammers troll innocent people to rip them off.

You are happy to cooperate the police, despite losing your money, the phone owner will get her/his phone returned.

As Brother moose said, you did NOTHING wrong, because you didn't commit any crimes.