Crook steals cellphone from gathering of phone experts

Welcome to the third installment in Engadget's Stupid Criminals Series. A few weeks ago we told you about a laptop thief who got busted by giving the pilfered PC's serial number to IBM tech support, and yesterday we brought you the tragicomic tale of two misguided youths who stole a woman's iPod and tried to seek a ransom for its return. Well today we have the story of a man who stole an Orange C550 cellphone that was being raffled off for charity at a UK meeting of an online forum a few months back—not all that dumb until you find out that it was a gathering of MoDaCo, the world's largest smartphone community. A few days after the heist, MoDaCo founder Paul O'Brien enlisted the help of a 20-year-old gentleman named Martin who operates SPV-Developers, which offers free unlocking tools for phones like the one that had been jacked. Long story short (mostly because we don't understand all the tech wizardry they performed), this dynamic duo tracked down the thief, who turned out to be a MoDaCo member (probably ex-member now) attending the meetup. After a brief phone conversation with the red-faced crook, O'Brien received the phone back via special delivery the very next day.

[Ben brenker @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

yeah, didn't this happen almost a year ago?

[Jaxim @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

It's the first time I'm reading about it, so shut up that it's old news. You guys who say "dupe!", "old news!", "spelling mistake!" are really annoying tech elitists who have too much time on your hands to post an annoying comment on a blog.

[Jim Phelps @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

From the "Criminals are stupid" file:

I had a friend whose wife came home to find two burglars in the house. When she came in the front door, they raced out the back door and jumped the back fence. She called the cops. The cops arrived and were asking her questions when she looked out front and saw a taxi pulling up.

She sees the two burglars get out of the taxi and she says to the cops, "there they are!" The cops go out and arrest the burglars.

Seems that when the fled the scene of the crime, they left their car behind so they ran and ran and ran then took a cab back. The idea of stopping a block away or waiting till the cops weren't there just didn't come to them.

[Chas @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

On behalf of all the techno elitists out there, let me be the first to tell you to get with the program. For everyone else....this is ancient...move along.

[Captain Obvious @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

quick Jaxim, chug more coffee

[Ben Brenker @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

Sorry Jaxim, you're right. Let me bring you up to speed on some other news too. The Titanic sank, we pulled out of Vietnam, communism fell, and Princess Di lived up to her name, and died.

[Nick @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

Ouch on the Di comment. Fate kills off the good guys first....

[Princess Di @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

Yup, Ben is right. It happened almost a year go.... If your years are 10 weeks long, that is.... (read the article next time - very top line says Aug 29th, 2005)

Heaven forbid Engadget report on anything older then 10 minutes.

BTW, I'm not dead. I'm currently on holiday. My cruise ship, the Titantic, is currently docked off Da Nang.

[Jack @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

rflmao

[Steve Mueller @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

I think the point is that this was covered by several other blogs *at the time it happened*.

Jaxim, don't you find it ironic that you complained that people who posted complaints have too much time on their hands? And isn't almost everybody who reads Engadget a tech elitist? And is that really a *bad* thing?

Princess Di, what are you wearing, baby?

[The Real Princess Di @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

A black 1994 Mercedes S-280.

[John Kepler Lewis @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

Back from the dead... 8-O

[LINES @ Dec 19th 2005 2:38AM]

First line from the source:
Mon Aug 29 2005 - MoDaCo C550 Thief - PWN3D

Second line from the source:
"Last Saturday, MoDaCo (the world's largest smartphone community) held a get-together for their forum members. Unfortunately the positive community spirit was soured by an individual who decided to steal one of the charity raffle prizes - an Orange C550 mobile phone.
"

Now, Elliot Anderson. How did you hear about it 6 months ago on Slashdot? How did you hear about it 1 year ago, Ben brenker?

SHUT UP... if you read it before, SKIP IT. It takes less energy to scroll down than it is to, click comments, add your commment, go to you inbox, click the link, and wait for it to load.