Facepalm: Not every expensive tech theft story has an unhappy ending. A Reddit user has recounted how the base model Mac mini he bought was stolen after the delivery company left it in a very public area outside his building. But the thief tried to sell it on Facebook Marketplace, and one of his other listings showed his car with the license plate visible, suggesting this was no criminal mastermind at work.
The aptly named Redditor macmini posted that they ordered the base model Mac mini from Apple in March.
The $599 M4-powered computer is one of the many consumer items experiencing availability issues due to the memory crisis, with the base model being hit particularly hard. As such, Apple gave the Redditor a four-week delivery window in mid-March. But, in a familiar twist, it shipped the exact day they left town for two days.
Living in an apartment building means package deliveries can be a problem, so the poster asked a friend to grab the device while they were away. The person checked on the package 5 hours after it was registered as being delivered, but there was no sign of it.
My stolen Mac mini showed up on Facebook Marketplace and I found the guy!
by u/Vanifest0 in macmini
It turned out that Fedex had left the Mac mini in a public area outside the building near some mailboxes. This was despite signs in the area warning delivery workers "Do not leave packages here."
Apple was apparently very understanding. A claim was filed and Cupertino agreed to send out a new Mac mini. The only issue was that the device was out of stock, meaning the victim might have to wait until June before they receive a new one.
Presumably not wanting the thief to get away with his crime, the buyer told his boss about what happened. Having dealt with the scourge of porch pirates before, the employer checked Facebook Marketplace for local listings of Mac minis and sent the Redditor details of a suspicious listing.
Incredibly, the listing also showed the Mac mini's serial number on the box. After checking the order invoice and double-checking the number with Apple, it was confirmed that this was the stolen item.
In another facepalm moment for the thief, one of his other listings included a picture of his car – and the license plate was visible. The Redditor checked the apartment parking lot and found the same car, suggesting the person responsible lived in the building.
After filing a police report with all the evidence, the building's management became involved as several packages had gone missing over the last few months. Turns out using Facebook Marketplace may not have been the criminal's smartest move.