Thursday, February 11, 2010

Thieves and Scumbags have a bad day

Thieves and scumbags

I printed up a few flyers and planned on dropping them off in the neighborhood in hopes that someone would return my phone. As I approached the residence on my Outcast29 I could see three police cars and a helicopter.

"Thieves! Thieves and scumbags! Nothing but thieves and scumbags live in THAT house." is what I heard as they frog marched a couple of the residence away in a patrol car.

Naturally, the police asked me what I was up to when I got near the scene.  The sobbing, mascara faced woman must have felt like fate itself was piling on as I explained that my cell phones GPS kept displaying that it was at this residence but no one in the home was answering the phone or returning it.

The policeman said that he was not surprised and asked me to wait as he retrieved it. The police asked for my drivers license and phone number, returned my phone to me and let me go on my way. 

I was nothing but smiles the rest of the ride home.

I had been worried that the person who had my phone would use it to retrieve personal data about myself. I couldn't have had less to worry about in those regards. The woman clearly spent a lot of time making the background pink, erasing my contacts,   adding her contacts, playing solitaire, erasing my photos, and taking arms length pictures of herself. She was not a Palm veteran as she could have easily done a reset to erase my profile. This phone now shows my profile with her data. Ironically, I feared someone having my personal data but instead I have her personal data. 

Wonder if I should contact the police before I do a reset and restore of the phone?

I could post her pictures on this post, but I doubt that anyone cares to see. I kind of pity the fool. She seems like the kind of person who would keep your cash but leave your credit cards and identity alone if she found your wallet. Don't get me wrong, she did not do the right by me, but there are worse people out there. 

follow up (the next day)

I saw the same police crew today again on the way home from work. I told them about all the personal data this woman stored on my phone. They said that they didn't need it and it would be fine for me to delete. I did a hard reset of the palm and just like that Jennifer E. B*#m@^^was gone. All traces of her except for the photos she saved on my card were gone. I did a sync and my old phone came back. All contacts, email everything. This is why I always liked this gadget. Had palms before they were phones. Was an easy transition to the treos. Someday, I am sure I'll make the switch to an Apple, but I like old things too. Good companies with Good ideas ahead of their time.

4 comments:

  1. This is fantastic. I learn something all the time. I had no idea that someone could find their cell phone by using a gps tracking devise feature. Now you better get a better way of carrying it...DAD

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  2. Great story with a satisfying ending. You didn't mention if any of her comrades called later. The best part is that the police returned it to you right there.

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  3. no, they didn't call. Far as I can tell she never even got a call while she had it. Where it had This phone is property of xxxx at 999 999-9999 please contact me at 999-9999. All she did was replace my name with her's! Like I would let her keep my phone number and phone! Delusional. All she did was take pictures of herself and play games. Kind of pitiful.

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