Mission Impossible style theft at BB

[MJinZ]

Well, at least they went after the Apple crap. No big loss.

I was going to say the same thing. About to offer condolences to Best Buy's insurance adjusters but now no longer care ^_^.

 

[sygyzy]

I am surprised this doesn't happen more often. You rarely hear of any real impressive heists (the diamond mart one was the most recent memorable one). In the movies, this stuff happens all the time. I know, it's fiction, but they are perfectly plausible. And someone had to think of it (script writers), so obviously it's within the realm of possibility. And lastly, there are obviously people with this talent that are amoral.

Nice job, but possibly an inside job? Why would banners be placed to block security cameras?

It scares me that you're a medic.

 

[indamixx99]

I wonder if they're looking on ebay for 13-15 power adapters, since those would've been left behind.

Sounds like they took brand new boxed laptops, not demo units. Why would they have 26 demo apple laptops out there?

 

[alkemyst]

What everyone else said...I'm surprised that's all the took.

helluva LAN party they must have had.

 

[QueBert]

I wonder how much less than $26k they will actually get after selling the hot laptops (they won't be able to sell at retail value).

Seems like a lot of effort and risk for a reasonably small return.

They'll be able to sell them for going value, and Mac Book Pros hold their value ridiculously well. I have sold 3 non stolen laptops on CL, none of the 3 people asked if they were stolen or even tried to check before they bought them. They looked at it, turned it onm used it and transaction was made. These thieves will probably sell them non locally and make bank. They'll get probably 80% of the value of them back. Which is pretty damn good considering they didn't pay a dime for them. And I would imagine the smallest item at BB worth the most would be Apple Laptops, so everyone saying "OMG they stole t3h junks!" is crazy.

 

[JulesMaximus]

lol, was thinking the same thing. Methinks they meant 3 foot.

That's pretty crazy though. Seems like a lot of work for only 26k, but I guess.

Maybe they need the laptops to plan an even bigger heist?

 

[Fox5]

Things are always what they seem. The probability that they got lucky this time is just as likely as the probability that they were "professional" . IMO true professionals don't waste their time on this petty theft. and yes this is a petty heist. Maybe this was an act of proving ones capabilities to a crew that runs real heists....who knows.

WTF would you want a 'professional' to do? Steal the Hope diamond? It's not like the movies, people steal things they can move fast, and Apple laptops and relatively high value and move fast.

 

[kranky]

Even the most determined thief isn't going to wander from store to store just to see if the security cameras just happen to be blocked in such a way someone could come down from the ceiling and steal some stuff without being spotted.

Someone in the store purposely positioned those banners exactly where they were placed, probably to get a cut of the loot.

 

[alkemyst]

I don't know if you guys have been keeping up on robbery, but a $26k take is pretty damn good. Banks are worth usually 1/10th that and much higher risk/penalty.

Chances are if it's kids and it goes to trial many of you bleeding hearts will cry out "THEY ARE JUST KIDS, GIVE THEM A SECOND CHANCE".

 

[RagingBITCH]

I don't know if you guys have been keeping up on robbery, but a $26k take is pretty damn good. Banks are worth usually 1/10th that and much higher risk/penalty.

Chances are if it's kids and it goes to trial many of you bleeding hearts will cry out "THEY ARE JUST KIDS, GIVE THEM A SECOND CHANCE".

Kids wouldn't be that smart or sophisticated to do this.

 

[arcenite]

Kids wouldn't be that smart or sophisticated to do this.

Yeah, because there is no such thing as smart kids

 

[purbeast0]

I don't know if you guys have been keeping up on robbery, but a $26k take is pretty damn good. Banks are worth usually 1/10th that and much higher risk/penalty.

Chances are if it's kids and it goes to trial many of you bleeding hearts will cry out "THEY ARE JUST KIDS, GIVE THEM A SECOND CHANCE".

yea i really have no clue wtf people are talking about saying that it is not worth the risk and wasnt a big score...

 

[Red Squirrel]

That is quite impressive lol.

 

[RoloMather]

I don't know if you guys have been keeping up on robbery, but a $26k take is pretty damn good. Banks are worth usually 1/10th that and much higher risk/penalty.

Chances are if it's kids and it goes to trial many of you bleeding hearts will cry out "THEY ARE JUST KIDS, GIVE THEM A SECOND CHANCE".

Heh. If kids did this, they should be hired somewhere because they got what it takes to be successful.

Turn them to good and they will do more good.

 

[LTC8K6]

No, the serial numbers might be traced to the buyers (assuming they go online and register/update, and that Apple and BB jointly track such things), in some other town, who'll have very generic descriptions of the sellers; who may or may not be the thieves.

Assuming two people and $13k for selling or fencing at 50% = ~$6.5k per person. It's certainly not a large reward, but "risk" is always relative to the person taking it.

Receiving stolen merchandise is a crime...so you need to turn in the person who sold you the stolen merchandise...the idea that you didn't know it was stolen is not going to help...

 

[crownjules]

Someone in the store purposely positioned those banners exactly where they were placed, probably to get a cut of the loot.

Got to agree. It's way too big of a coincidence that they just HAPPEN to block the camera angles needed to see the thieves.

 

[Gooberlx2]

Receiving stolen merchandise is a crime...so you need to turn in the person who sold you the stolen merchandise...the idea that you didn't know it was stolen is not going to help...

I know it's a crime, and the buyers are compelled to cooperate. However, you said the laptops will be quickly traced because of serial numbers. I'm saying that's doubtful, and even if they are, the trail likely won't be clear enough to lead to the thieves.

Cop: "Who sold you this laptop?"
Buyer: "Uhhh...some guy out of the trunk of his Honda Civic".
Cop: "Can you describe him or the car?"
Buyer: "Sure, guy was like...you know, normal size, normal looking. Maybe ethnic, but I'm not sure. Wearing a winter jacket and jeans. I didn't get a name. The civic looked like every other beat up civic on the road."
Cop: "Get a license plate number?"
Buyer: "No."
Cop: "Were they from out of town?"
Buyer: "I have no idea!"
Cop: "Well, this laptop is stolen. You can't keep it."
Buyer: "Damn."

 

[Cogman]

While I haven't sold a whole lot of Items on E-bay, how is it going to stop them from selling the stuff? I don't believe you have to enter serial numbers into the E-bay items just to sell them, so how would they know?

I don't know about you, but when I buy something from ebay I don't ask the question "Was this stolen?". Craigslist won't be better.

So long as they don't try and sell everything at once, they'll probably get away with it. Heck, even if they sell it all at once, it would be pretty hard to track down.

 

[sygyzy]

As for selling the laptops, I assume the moment the customer goes online, the Mac will contact Apple who will by will have registered all the stolen serials into their system and they'll either deactivate it or track it.

 

[rockyct]

helluva LAN party they must have had.

A pretty crappy LAN party considering they all were mac. What are they going to do, go on a WoW raid together?

 

[aigomorla]

too much work for 26k in laptops....

all that planning.. and time... he should be a script writer instead.

 

[rockyct]

too much work for 26k in laptops....

all that planning.. and time... he should be a script writer instead.

26k is like the annual wage of a script writer

 

[QueBert]

A pretty crappy LAN party considering they all were mac. What are they going to do, go on a WoW raid together?

I play L4D2 on my Hackintosh, since these were high end Laptops they could play L4D2 quite well. That's one of the best games in a long time. Also thru wrappers you can play COD4 & plenty of other good games. It's only a matter of time before pretty much every PC game will be playable on a Mac.

 

[grrl]

departing the same way they came in — down a 3-inch gas pipe that runs from the roof to the ground outside the store.

Skinny thieves.

I saw that in an X-File episode.

 

[Buttzilla]

the rigging that is required to pull this off must be insane! this sounds like a 3 man job. cut the hole, shimmy down the pipe. someone up top must lower the tools, bags, and rigging down so the people below can cut and tie up the laptops, then get pulled back up.

damn, they are at least seasoned climbers to have the kind of upper body strength as well as the harnesses and rigging to pull it off.