Stolen Mac mini Appears on Facebook Marketplace, Seller Accidentally Reveals Serial Number and License Plate
A Reddit user reported that a Mac mini they ordered from Apple in March was stolen shortly after delivery. Surprisingly, the stolen device appeared for sale on Facebook Marketplace, with the seller's photos clearly showing the product's serial number and even a vehicle with a recognizable license plate.
This Mac mini is a base model equipped with the M4 chip, priced at $599. Due to recent supply shortages of consumer electronics, especially base models, Apple estimated a delivery period of about 4 weeks at the time. Coincidentally, the device was shipped just two days before the buyer left town.
Because the buyer lives in an apartment building and frequently experiences package delivery issues, they asked a friend to check and collect their packages. However, about 5 hours after the system showed "delivered," the friend went to check and found the package was missing. Subsequent information revealed that FedEx did not leave the package at the user's door, but in a public area near the apartment building's mailbox, accessible to anyone, despite a clear sign stating "Do not leave packages here."
After discovering the missing package, Apple accepted the buyer's complaint and agreed to send a replacement device without issue. However, due to the model being out of stock, the buyer may not receive the replacement until June.
A turning point in the event occurred when the buyer told their boss about the incident. Having previously handled similar "package theft" cases, the boss regularly browses relevant listings on Facebook Marketplace. Soon after, the boss sent a link to a Mac mini for sale, asking if it matched the stolen item. The buyer checked and found it was a new Mac mini, and the seller's uploaded pictures clearly showed the serial number on the product packaging.
The buyer immediately verified their order invoice and contacted Apple for further confirmation, ultimately confirming that it was indeed the device that had been stolen. Even more dramatically, another product page from the same seller featured a photo of a vehicle, with the license plate number also unblurred. The buyer then went to the parking lot of their apartment building and found a vehicle and license plate that exactly matched the photo, leading them to suspect that the person who stole the package likely lived in the same building.
Currently, the buyer has filed a police report and submitted relevant evidence, including serial number matching information, the platform's sales page, and the license plate information. At the same time, as the apartment building reportedly experienced multiple package disappearances in the past few months, the building management has also intervened in the investigation. TechSpot reports that this incident may ultimately help residents identify the suspect who has been stealing packages in the building for a long time, and the suspect's attempt to sell stolen goods on Facebook Marketplace has been described as "not very clever."