Dateline "exposes" iPod thieves via hidden camera

There's probably nothing quite as embarrassing as being ambushed on national television by Chris Hansen for stealing a measly iPod. Of course, NBC's crack team of journalists are just trying to expose the growing trend of iPod theft in the world... or kick up their ratings. In a bizarre and somewhat convoluted "hidden camera" scheme, Dateline nabs thieves at their own game by allowing them to steal new iPods bundled with a "special" install disc which secretly hands over the user's information to the news program. The venus-fly-trap-like plot unfolds as the crew leaves "unattended" iPods in high traffic areas, and is then shocked to see people walking off with them. With all due respect, Dateline, you were pretty much asking for it. If you'd like to know how it all ends, hit the read link for the six page transcript.

[AlexNoVA Posted Aug 3rd 2007 2:09PM]

Apple could provide the info to the cops, but it would have to be a Mayberry-type department that could spare an officer or detective to track down want amounts to petty theft.

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 3rd 2007 2:46PM]

What idiot registers a stolen item anyways

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 5th 2007 12:37AM]

The majority of these comments seem to that think it is ok to take an ipod just because it was left in public. This reinforces my belief that we have seriously degenerated into a society with a majority of "losers". Lost and founds and police departments return items to people everyday. I can't count the number of cell phones, wallets, money etc. that I have turned in or returned in my lifetime. It is NOT ok to take something that doesn't belong to you. Period. This is a class issue. People with class would never think it is ok to take and keep something that doesn't belong to them. There is no "grey" area here. Those of you that think this is ok must have been raised in the ghetto. I am trying to be blunt because if you fall into this category, you need to do some soul searching and work on trying to change your way of thinking. We need more jails.

[Rahvin112 Posted Aug 3rd 2007 8:04PM]

I wish all you people that are claiming that it's ok to keep anything left out in the open would take a moment and admit to themselves that they are thieves and amoral members of society.

You turn lost property into the cops, it doesn't matter if it's $5 or a $300 Ipod. If you think because the owner can't be found that it's just ok to keep it then you have a morality that differs from that offered in the law and the majority of Americans. Legally, morally and ethically such behavior is theft, plain and simple. It's simply not difficult to turn the item in to the police and if no one claims it generally you get to keep it, legally.

It's a sad statement about this country when petty theft is considered acceptable by the majority of posters. Or better yet blame the victim, not unlike blaming a woman for being raped. I really hope that you are at least fair and blame yourself when something is stolen from you. I swear none of generation Y or half of gen X has any moral compass whatsoever.

Here's to the law of anarchy where the biggest and strongest gets to exploit everyone else! Personally I think those people who are caught engaging in theft, regardless of amount should be publicly whipped with 25 strokes of a bullwhip. Maybe a few scars on the back will help realign their moral compass.

[rmanke Posted Aug 4th 2007 2:38AM]

I thought this was a great report, kudos to the researchers working on it.

My only issue with it is that the iPods were placed too out in the open to really call it theft. They should have made it more of a conscious decision to steal something rather than pick up an abandoned item.

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 5th 2007 11:36PM]

Man that's dumb. I'd like to see a poll to show how many people think picking up abandoned ipods is or is not stealing. If nothing else, I guarantee the numbers would be a lot more even than if you asked those same people if it's okay to arrange sexual encounters with minors. Surely they can't have run out of pedophiles already!

This report just seems curmudgeonly to me. Wonder what Nietzsche would think. Or Orwell.

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 6th 2007 5:57PM]

I watched this Dateline NBC:
"MSNBC reports that General Electric Co.'s (NYSE: GE) NBC Dateline was able to track 12 of 20 Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPods it left as bait for thieves."

As a matter of fact, my husband works for NBC Universal, and on 11/18/06, his ipod got stolen out of his office. He contacted security, did observation via surveillance camera and found out who the culprit was. The incident was filed as "Petty Theft". He's gotten the ipod registered to Apple prior the incident, but he never got his ipod back.