Fake money

nmballa · Posted: May 10, 2013 9:55 am Post subject: Fake money

Question for the lawyers. A friend dropped his phone and the dude that found it is demanding 250 to return it. Would it be illegal for the friend to give the person fake money. The person is in violation of the law for keeping the phone and since the transaction if not a legal transaction since my friend is the owner of the property would he be violating the law?

chavez · RIP MHL 04/25/1958 - 01/11/2006

nmballa, perhaps an officer of the law would like to accompany you to the designated meeting spot?

Broccoli B · Posted: May 10, 2013 9:58 am Post subject:

Why not just show up with a .45 and take the phone back!

nmballa · Posted: May 10, 2013 10:00 am Post subject:

Well thats what I told him as well but i don't think he is too keen on holding up a dude in the bad side of town.

Cops can't really do much other than ask for him to return it. If they show up at his house and he say he doesn't have it that pretty much the end of it. And they quite frankly don't give a hoot about a stolen phone.

jgriffith · Posted: May 10, 2013 10:00 am Post subject:

jgriffith · Posted: May 10, 2013 10:02 am Post subject:

Haven't researched the issue at all, but I would guess it is illegal to knowingly possess or make counterfeit money. I wouldn't recommend it.

chavez · RIP MHL 04/25/1958 - 01/11/2006

nmballa, the person is attempting to sell a stolen item. Yes, if he doesn't return it to it's owner it's stolen.

I'd recommend he tell the cops and ask if an officer can go to the meeting point with him, for his own safety.

I'd not recommend pulling a gun on the guy, and I'd definitely recommend this all goes down somewhere very public.

nmballa · Posted: May 10, 2013 10:13 am Post subject:

Yeah, just checked on his FB status. Phone is now turned off. So he is screwed at this point. They need to put a kill switch on phones.

Faust · Wakeboarder.Commie Joined: 20 May 2005 Posts: 1496

There was an article on this not too long ago... maybe on this site.... there are all sorts of measures that mobile phone companies could/should have taken to prevent robberies for years, but it would be bad business for them.

jgriffith · Posted: May 10, 2013 10:45 am Post subject:

Iphone has a kill switch

STPHNSN23 · Guest

and you can get an app for androids to do the same thing that icloud does for an iphone.

Chattwake · Posted: May 10, 2013 12:39 pm Post subject:

He should call the police and report this. It is a crime to convert/steal/retain property you know is owned by someone. Does your friend not have one of those apps that allows him to locate and/or lock his phone (like findphone)?

GnarShredd · Posted: May 10, 2013 12:53 pm Post subject:

jgriffith, Would you really? Not doubting, just genuinely interested in why. You don't know the dude, and if he's holding your phone for ransom he's obviously a scumbag and may be armed himself (planning to hold you up for the cash and keep the phone). Is a phone worth it?

pet575 · Posted: May 10, 2013 1:16 pm Post subject:

Under the law, he has a right to recover the property and since he is the true owner he has that right against even the finder of the property. The more practical problem is enforcing his rights because it is lost, not stolen, and so the po-po could not give a fook about it.

For $250 I'd go the replacement route.

jgriffith · Posted: May 10, 2013 1:17 pm Post subject:

I would seriously consider it, phone isnt worth it, but some dip $hit trying to extort me would piss me off. Its kinda like my occasional road rage, I tend to teach people "lessons" when they cut me off or do something else, its not worth the danger but i do it anyway. I would take precautions for sure and bail if I thought it was dangerous, but, yes i probably would.

TnR6Rida · Posted: May 10, 2013 5:26 pm Post subject:

nmballa, Do you really think the guy is going to report your friend for giving him fake money? I can see that call to the police.

Yes, police? I basically held this guys phone hostage, and demanded $250 in ransom money for the safe return of his phone. We met up and made the exchange and he gave me fake money. Now he has his own phone back and it's not fair.

Jeff206 · Wakeboarder.Commie Joined: 27 May 2004 Posts: 1002

Producing and/or using counterfeit money carries waaaaay harsher penalties than stealing a phone and the attempted extortion. I'm pretty sure the Secret Service investigates all counterfeit related crime...

nmballa · Posted: May 10, 2013 6:10 pm Post subject:

E.J. · Ladies Man Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 7597 City: Mogadishu

Best case scenario, you have a friend in law enforcement and bring them in the mix.

I wouldn't do fake $$$, no need to break law. (Take the Monopoly cash and strong arena them?)

Interested to hear how this plays out,

E.J. · Ladies Man Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 7597 City: Mogadishu

So did this get resolved?

nmballa · Posted: May 11, 2013 2:16 pm Post subject:

Yeah, he bought a new phone.

E.J. · Ladies Man Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 7597 City: Mogadishu

That sucks.... Hate thiefs. Wife's iPhone got swiped in Mexico this year.

pyrocasto · Posted: May 11, 2013 9:00 pm Post subject:

I asked my cop buddy about something like that. He said if it's lost or you dont know who has it they really cant do anything. If someone stole it and you know who has it that's a different story. I still doubt the police would get involved in the least with something so low in value, unless they grabbed it out of your hand and took off...

GnarShredd · Posted: May 13, 2013 6:51 am Post subject:

jgriffith, Got ya, see where you're coming from. Nothing I hate more than a thief and if someone was trying to extort me I'd be insanely pissed.

vette74 · Posted: May 13, 2013 7:52 am Post subject:

I would take my dad's 3/4 ton dodge with a ranch-hand bumper on the front and then make an appointment to meet them in some crappy strip mall parking lot. "Yes just park at away from the store.....Ok you are in the gold buick just leave your lights on so I know who it is." And then just t-bone that s.o.b. in the parking lot and drive away.

Nor*Cal · Ladies Man Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 9479 City: Sac

Police helped this guy: http://gizmodo.com/5931258/david-pogue-has-lost-his-iphone

jt09 · Ladies Man Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 22083 City: Austin

ohsix · Posted: May 14, 2013 6:24 am Post subject:

I'd rather give AT&T $800 or whatever a new iPhone costs than give a thief $250.

As much as I would hate someone who stole my phone for extortion, $250 (or $800) isn't worth killing someone over if I'm not endangered.

It is a crime to produce or knowingly posses counterfeit currency, even if someone stole your phone. The secret service won't care why you have it or produced it.

jgriffith · Posted: May 14, 2013 6:29 am Post subject: