A teacher was surprised to receive a Facebook message from a college student, asking for the pin code to his computer.
Damian Bourke of Tasmania, Australia, said that he was at a hotel in Gold Coast, when someone stole his $2,800 laptop.
The man filed a police report. Police noted that there was no forced entry into his hotel room and therefore, Bourke suspected that the cleaner took it, but he had no proof.
Bourke gave up on ever seeing his MacBook Pro again. However, seven months later, he was contacted by someone, saying that she was the new owner of his computer.
In the Facebook message, the person named Almira Cintura, claimed to be a college student from the Philippines. She wanted the owner’s iCloud pin code to unlock it.
Cintura wrote: “What’s your 4 digit pincode, message me as soon as you read this, thank you.
“I really need your pincode in order to open the Macbook pro that I just bought online. When I found that it was not new, I tried to return it, but the seller did not respond. I saw your name on the screen.”
The woman claimed that she paid $945 for the Macbook.
When Bourke did not respond, the woman sent a few more message saying: “Is there any chance you will give me the pin code” and “I’m a third year college student, I bought the Macbook for school, sorry for disturbing you, I badly need it.”
Bourke posted the exchange to social media, where friends warned him that this can be an elaborate scheme from the thief who may get to all his personal information once he has the pin code.