[SOLVED] Is the laptop broken or unusable ?

[MoaL]

For school I bought a laptop on Facebook. I just now turned it on and it said that there is a bitlocker and there is a admin password on bios where I can not even reset the computer.

I don't know if I can return the laptop. Is there anything that I could do?

 

[USAFRet]

For school I bought a laptop on Facebook. I just now turned it on and it said that there is a bitlocker and there is a admin password on bios where I can not even reset the computer.

I don't know if I can return the laptop. Is there anything that I could do?

Get your money back.
A FB person selling something where the drive is BitLocker and a BIOS password...very possibly that is a stolen item.

Don't go through ANY machinations trying to get around that...get your money back.


Never ever buy a PC/laptop/tablet, without turning it on.

For ANY second hand system, you personally need to do a full wipe and reinstall after the money changes hands.
But since this one has a BIOS password, don't even bother.
Get your money back.

 

[punkncat]

^Yes, hopefully you paid with a disputable method. If this was part of an enthusiast group make sure to post deets about the transaction to other members of the group as a warning. Facebook themselves will take no action or responsibility/liability for Marketplace items and it should always be considered as "buyer beware". Consider the money lost and probably would contact the local law enforcement about the transaction both so that perhaps the owner can get their item back and also such that the perp will be on radar.

 

[MoaL]

Get your money back.
A FB person selling something where the drive is BitLocker and a BIOS password...very possibly that is a stolen item.

Don't go through ANY machinations trying to get around that...get your money back.


Never ever buy a PC/laptop/tablet, without turning it on.

For ANY second hand system, you personally need to do a full wipe and reinstall after the money changes hands.
But since this one has a BIOS password, don't even bother.
Get your money back.

They would not respond anymore. Any recommendations on what I could do?

 

[USAFRet]

They would not respond anymore. Any recommendations on what I could do?

How much did you spend on this?

Chalk it up to experience?

 

[MoaL]

How much did you spend on this?

Chalk it up to experience?

I spent like 425 on it. So its a big ouch.

It does come with a Dell Thunderbolt Dock- WD19TBS 130w which is over 200 on amazon right now.
I guess i could try to sell it for parts. I think it has a 16gb ram and a 1tb samsung pcie ssd and what not.
Any suggestions lol.

 

[USAFRet]

Any suggestions lol.

The responsible thing to do would be to contact the police.

 

[MoaL]

The responsible thing to do would be to contact the police.

Would I get in trouble for turning it in to the police? I didn't know that the laptop may be stolen but would that still make me in trouble?

 

[USAFRet]

Would I get in trouble for turning it in to the police? I didn't know that the laptop may be stolen but would that still make me in trouble?

Well, it might.

Unless you have rock solid proof you bought it (video/texts/etc), they may well suspect YOU (if it is indeed a stolen device).
I'm not saying they WILL. But there is that tiny chance.

 

[bignastyid]

Would I get in trouble for turning it in to the police? I didn't know that the laptop may be stolen but would that still make me in trouble?

You are unlikely to get into trouble for having to police check it out. You are more likely to get into trouble selling parts from a stole laptop.

 

[hang-the-9]

They would not respond anymore. Any recommendations on what I could do?

How did you pay for this? As long as it was not cash or with paypal friends and family you can dispute the purchase and maybe get your money back. With the model laptop and the fact it came with a dock, it's 95% certain whoever sold it to you stole it or at least did not return company property when they were fired or something else not very legal.

That is a decent amount of money to lose, I would contact the police, give them the contact info of the person and they can reach out to them. Actually things like fraud over the internet can be a federal crime since it can cross state borders. For example if you steal $100 from a wallet in person vs doing it vs a scam, there is a harsher prosecution for the scam since it can involve internet or mail fraud which is a federal crime vs a misdemeanor of theft under a certain amount. Selling stolen goods or even something known to be not working properly as a scam can fall under this jurisdiction.