Package delivery/stolen package

[notanid10t]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? NM

I live outside of the United States and have packages sent to my Mom's home in Las Cruces, NM. I had purchased something in October to be delivered to my Mom's house prior to her moving November 1. The price of the item purchased was approximately $400. It was shipped in a box addressed to my wife.

When I came "home" yesterday and went through all my packages, I noticed this package was missing. I checked tracking and it was delivered on November 22, 2017 with delivery confirmation from FedEx at my Mom's old address. My Mom's old landlord accepted the delivery and just kept it at their house. When I contacted the previous landlord a few minutes ago, they claimed that they dropped the box off at USPS "a couple of weeks ago" to have it returned to shipper. They claimed that they waited a few weeks for my Mom to come get the package but never contacted her saying they had it either. I know for a fact that USPS wouldn't have accepted the package because it came from FedEx.

I have "wardriven" the area of where the old house is located. I picked up the various signals from wireless devices and recorded them. (Passive data-gathering which is NOT illegal) I was able to identify that the landlord is using the device that I ordered because the MAC Address of the router in there matches the MAC Address on the shipping receipt. (MAC Addresses are hard coded into a device and cannot be changed on routers such as this.)

I am debating about going to the police about this item being "stolen". I have the technical background to identify the device via the shipping receipt and the passive monitoring of signals.

What else can I do? What legal ramifications can I take to get this back or to get them to pay me for the item?

 

[LdiJ]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? NM

I live outside of the United States and have packages sent to my Mom's home in Las Cruces, NM. I had purchased something in October to be delivered to my Mom's house prior to her moving November 1. The price of the item purchased was approximately $400. It was shipped in a box addressed to my wife.

When I came "home" yesterday and went through all my packages, I noticed this package was missing. I checked tracking and it was delivered on November 22, 2017 with delivery confirmation from FedEx at my Mom's old address. My Mom's old landlord accepted the delivery and just kept it at their house. When I contacted the previous landlord a few minutes ago, they claimed that they dropped the box off at USPS "a couple of weeks ago" to have it returned to shipper. They claimed that they waited a few weeks for my Mom to come get the package but never contacted her saying they had it either. I know for a fact that USPS wouldn't have accepted the package because it came from FedEx.

I have "wardriven" the area of where the old house is located. I picked up the various signals from wireless devices and recorded them. (Passive data-gathering which is NOT illegal) I was able to identify that the landlord is using the device that I ordered because the MAC Address of the router in there matches the MAC Address on the shipping receipt. (MAC Addresses are hard coded into a device and cannot be changed on routers such as this.)

I am debating about going to the police about this item being "stolen". I have the technical background to identify the device via the shipping receipt and the passive monitoring of signals.

What else can I do? What legal ramifications can I take to get this back or to get them to pay me for the item?

By all means call the police.

 

[Zigner]

(MAC Addresses are hard coded into a device and cannot be changed on routers such as this.)

As a person with such technical knowledge, you should know that the ability to spoof/clone mac address in to routers (as well as to outright assign one) is an option on the vast majority of home routers.

Just saying...


ETA: I should also mention that you really can't pinpoint the source of the wireless signals to a specific house.

 

[Zigner]

By all means call the police.

It can't hurt. They might even be inclined to chat with the former LL. Nothing else would come of it.

 

[PayrollHRGuy]

Yeah but....

What are the chances of a person assigning the same MAC address that the OP's router used?

 

[LdiJ]

It can't hurt. They might even be inclined to chat with the former LL. Nothing else would come of it.

But that chat with the landlord might just result in him "finding" the package.

 

[Mass_Shyster]

Yeah but....

What are the chances of a person assigning the same MAC address that the OP's router used?

1 in 281,474,976,710,656

 

[quincy]

1 in 281,474,976,710,656

Hahaha.

 

[Zigner]

Yeah but....

What are the chances of a person assigning the same MAC address that the OP's router used?

The point is that the OP made a definitive statement that was incorrect. The OP wishes for us (and, ultimately, the "authorities") to believe that s/he is an expert, yet the OP is incorrect about a basic function of routers that has been present for years. It speaks to credibility.

 

[LdiJ]

As a person with such technical knowledge, you should know that the ability to spoof/clone mac address in to routers (as well as to outright assign one) is an option on the vast majority of home routers.

Just saying...

In all fairness, he did say that it could not be changed on the type of router in question...he did not say that it could not be changed on all routers or even on most routers.

ETA: I should also mention that you really can't pinpoint the source of the wireless signals to a specific house.

Our tech guy disagrees with you on that one. He says that he can do it.

 

[Zigner]

In all fairness, he did say that it could not be changed on the type of router in question...he did not say that it could not be changed on all routers or even on most routers.

That's not actually what the OP said - but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt on this one.

Our tech guy disagrees with you on that one. He says that he can do it.

I bet he can get pretty darn close, but not close enough for a criminal charge

 

[LdiJ]

That's not actually what the OP said - but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt on this one.




I bet he can get pretty darn close, but not close enough for a criminal charge

I dunno...you don't know our tech guy. Frankly though, based on the things that the IRS has been preaching the last couple of years about cyber security in our continuing ed, I would tend to believe it was possible as well.

 

[Zigner]

The reality is that the police aren't going to put much effort in to this. We're talking about a very small fry in the deep-fat fryer of life.

 

[LdiJ]

The reality is that the police aren't going to put much effort in to this. We're talking about a very small fry in the deep-fat fryer of life.

Oh I totally agree. I just think that if the police had a word with them they might think twice and "find" the router to give back to the OP.

 

[Zigner]

Oh I totally agree. I just think that if the police had a word with them they might think twice and "find" the router to give back to the OP.

Fair enough