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TSA gave my MacBook Pro to another passenger at LAX, and now it's gone

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Re: TSA gave my MacBook Pro to another passenger at LAX, and now it's gone

#141

Post by IkmoIkmo »

I don't get why this was deemed an accident. If you have me a random laptop, I'll ask you what the hell you're doing. I won't take it, walk away and then board another flight. That isn't an accident, that's theft.

Unless of course they've got a spare Macbook that actually did belong to the woman, which she left thinking she was taking her own Macbook, but there's nothing indicating that this is the case.

So you've got two very clear issues. One is a passenger who stole $3k on broad daylight, who is on footage and can easily be traced to a particular flight, which can easily be traced to a passenger list, which can easily trace back to her.

The other is that you've got a custodial relationship for a few minutes. You give objects away to be inspected, at which point the TSA becomes a temporary custodian. They ought to return it.

I can imagine that the TSA restricts their liability to e.g. $5k per item, and that its liabilities are covered if and when it has a proper safe-keeping procedure in place that's followed, such they're not held accountable for 'acts of god' (which is a legal concept). This would provide sufficient incentives to create very simple procedures that'd prevent 99% of such issues, like described earlier in this thread in India. You have a box with two tags, you get one, the employee at the end gets one, you put stuff in box, you give tag, you take stuff from box, that's it.

But the notion that they're taking your stuff without any liability, responsibility, insurance, procedures or just in general, recourse, is ridiculous.

Re: TSA gave my MacBook Pro to another passenger at LAX, and now it's gone

#142

Post by notahacker »

adekok wrote: post #116
notahacker wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seems a little unlikely that criminals are organising to buy plane tickets or obtain security clearances to steal things on security camera in a place crowded with security personnel when they could steal MacBooks just as easily by, say, wandering into a shared workspace.

If they happen to be flying somewhere, and there's a laptop free for the taking, why not?

Vastly increased chance of being caught?

Especially since if they "happen to be flying somewhere", they're not exactly desperately short of cash.

Re: TSA gave my MacBook Pro to another passenger at LAX, and now it's gone

#143

Post by cognivore »

IkmoIkmo wrote: post #141

I don't get why this was deemed an accident. If you have me a random laptop, I'll ask you what the hell you're doing. I won't take it, walk away and then board another flight. That isn't an accident, that's theft. Unless of course they've got a spare Macbook that actually did belong to the woman, which she left thinking she was taking her own Macbook, but there's nothing indicating that this is the case. So you've go…

>> I don't get why this was deemed an accident. Reading the story, there is this little voice saying in the back of my head, "They don't want to treat it as a crime because they know who has it and they're in cahoots."

Re: TSA gave my MacBook Pro to another passenger at LAX, and now it's gone

#144

Post by projectramo »

IkmoIkmo wrote: post #141

I don't get why this was deemed an accident. If you have me a random laptop, I'll ask you what the hell you're doing. I won't take it, walk away and then board another flight. That isn't an accident, that's theft. Unless of course they've got a spare Macbook that actually did belong to the woman, which she left thinking she was taking her own Macbook, but there's nothing indicating that this is the case. So you've go…

I just think the TSA people don't want to be yelled at by their superior officers for the mistake they made. Can you imagine the number of times something like this happens? They are hoping you'll just go away or that it'll never get traced to them or the woman will return the mac.

Re: TSA gave my MacBook Pro to another passenger at LAX, and now it's gone

#145

Post by wrboyce »

rndstr wrote: post #106
vegardx wrote: post #73

One time I was in a hurry and had forgotten that I had a very valuable foldable knife in my backpack when leaving for a flight, and with no time to spare I had to let them just take it. At the destination curiosity took over and I had to ask a security guard if it was possible to get it back when I returned, something he confirmed. They handed valuables like that over to lost and found. This naturally made my day a l…

In Switzerland's airports they give you a receipt where you can collect it for $10 when you get back. They once confiscated a bike tool of mine. Why they only picked the adjustable wrench out of total 3 potential weapons is beyond me, though.

Last time I passed through a Swiss airport I was handed a screwdriver to gouge out the contents of my Zippo lighters.

Re: TSA gave my MacBook Pro to another passenger at LAX, and now it's gone

#146

Post by MOARDONGZPLZ »

cognivore wrote: post #143
IkmoIkmo wrote: post #141

I don't get why this was deemed an accident. If you have me a random laptop, I'll ask you what the hell you're doing. I won't take it, walk away and then board another flight. That isn't an accident, that's theft. Unless of course they've got a spare Macbook that actually did belong to the woman, which she left thinking she was taking her own Macbook, but there's nothing indicating that this is the case. So you've go…

>> I don't get why this was deemed an accident. Reading the story, there is this little voice saying in the back of my head, "They don't want to treat it as a crime because they know who has it and they're in cahoots."

I would really, really doubt this. My assumption is that they either:

1. They have statistics that they have to keep up, and having a ding like "a crime was committed on your watch" isn't a good thing, so they try to avoid it, or 2. Classifying it as a crime versus an accident comes with a load of paperwork and hassle for everybody involved that no one wants to do.

I really don't think this was malicious in the manner you describe.

Re: TSA gave my MacBook Pro to another passenger at LAX, and now it's gone

#147

Post by cwilkes »

howlingfantods wrote: post #46
elkabong wrote: post #30

I'm surprised that everyone is focusing on the TSA for giving his computer away (awful), but to me, the even more objectionable thing is that THE WOMAN TOOK A RANDOM COMPUTER and just left with it. Any reasonable person would say "that is not mine", or am I being too naive? And, since she didn't do that, there was clearly malice involved, so the police were also clearly in the wrong, saying that it was an accident an…

To be fair, MacBook Pros pretty much all look the same on the outside. She probabaly just thought it was hers, stuffed it in her bag, and went to catch her flight.

I thought that ... So why isn't there a spare MacBook Pro laying around the security line?

Hey, a name game: MacRoulette. You put your laptop through security with a bunch of others and you grab a random one. Practice safe computing and always have a backup.

Re: TSA gave my MacBook Pro to another passenger at LAX, and now it's gone

#148

Post by alfanick »

Wow, I'm actually surprised that you would blame TSA or the woman instead of yourself (I'm even more surprised that no other comment mention this). It is you who did not care to ensure your laptop go back to you. There is some bias against TSA, but you cannot blame them for everything (disclaimer: never been to States, never had anything in common with TSA).

Sure, it is a pity that you lost a computer; it is probably some kind of TSA fault for handling the laptop to the woman (probably a common thief), but you should remember that you left your computer for a scan and you should receive it back. No computer back? Ask TSA for your computer - 10-15 minutes, most probably everything would turn out ok.

Re: TSA gave my MacBook Pro to another passenger at LAX, and now it's gone

#149

Post by MOARDONGZPLZ »

gargravarr wrote: post #51

Having recently flown from the UK to Hong Kong and then on to Manila, I am suddenly struck by how much of an honesty policy we are expected to follow. The idea of tagging the laptop as in India is a step in the right direction, but at no point in my journey was my laptop tagged. It was placed in a bin with all my other valuable possessions (phone, wallet, camera) and it's only through practise that I manage to get th…

> Intentional or not, this is theft

Theft requires intent, so if it wasn't intentional, it wasn't theft by definition (legal or otherwise).

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