Sorry this happened.

As a creature of habit myself, most times when I change my regular way of doing things I mess up.

But I bet your new luggage is cute! 😊

We had new cleaning people in yesterday. They found my ”Amish” (basketed) microwave and were mighty impressed i tell you. Trust me, with a naked plebeian microwave out, my diminutive city slicker kitchen just looks like a sad break room somewhere in corporate America.

Sorry about the laptop, and it is so easy to get scammed even for savvy people like you and the rest of us. Yeah, when I had given my card to a fradulent site that was not the Fillmore here, at least CITI took care of it ASAP and canceled the card.

You lead an interesting life! Nothing like that happens to those of us go from home to the grocery store ;-) Feel sorry for me now? Haha! Enjoy the rest of your trip sans laptop.

Whoa!

It’s a relief you are getting the laptop back, but what an exercise, especially when you are away from home. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to go old school and have your name and cell phone on a label on your laptop. Then, the TSA could have paged you or called you while you were awaiting departure.

Glad you are getting your laptop back. What a PITA.

If you paid the 3rd party w/a CC, do you need to get new cards/new number?

Sorry about the laptop but glad there is a happy ending, even if it may 'cost' you. I do hope your credit card company will fix it, as they usually are able to do.

I had a near-miss with a private party IRS filing company two years ago and nearly succumbed this year. I am an advisor and the treasurer for a small non-profit in our small community. Every year we file a postcard form for our organization which takes all of 5 minutes to complete. Our leader usually sends me a reminder in mid-January and of course the first time I did this I tried to file and couldn't on the IRS website, but I was re-directed to this other 'seemingly IRS' website address that would allow me to file it. As soon as I got to a page that asked for money (around $50) I knew it was bogus and not the IRS. I somehow got to the same site this year before I remembered it wasn't time to file yet.

I suspect our leader may have been getting the same e-mails from this organization that 'it's time to file' and therefore sends me the note that it's time to file. Be wary folks!

I once left my laptop underneath the seat of a bus in midtown. I almost died when I realized I didn't have my bag as the bus pulled away. I was running down Madison and almost caught up. But then not. Fiasco ensued. I got mine back the next day but the whole story is....something.

You have my sincere sympathy. It is a horrible feeling

Same thing happened to me when I needed to get a gov document quickly-- dont remember if it was birth cert or social security .. anyhow, I was moving too quickly and didnt realize I filled out a form with a third party vs the state. Dumb! I know better!

Glad you will get your laptop -- and hope your trip is great!

Wow! I'm impressed that your laptop was located and will be sent back to you. Maybe buy a lottery ticket.

So sorry this happened to you. Very frustrating. Glad that your laptop is on the way home and thank you for warning us about the process.

It doesn't help that TSA 'rules' are not consistent. Our first leg last week take everything out--liquids/electronics and shoes off. No we don't care if you have a metal hip. On the way back leave it all in your carry on, leave your shoes on and I get patted down because "my crotch lit up" as I went through the same looking x-ray machine as the other airport. My daughter who flies a ton more than I do said, 'TSA is the wild wild west' . Being a creature of habit is no safe guard.

Well, the "FInd My" app did always tell me it was still at the TSA at the airport so that did alleviate some worries. TSA does this all the time, they have a protocol, and other than the "wait 3-5 business days" message, I give them high marks.

It won't arrive before we leave, but DH kept one of the kid's Macbooks I am certain I told him to throw out. (shh don't tell him). The toolbar across the top of the keyboard doesn't work, but I never had one of those anyway. I always use a tool bar onscreen. So we fired her up and I am good to go, since everything is on the Cloud.

I should tape a business card to my laptop, but I didn't used to travel with it so no biggie. It does have my name when you open it, but no one paged me.

Thanks for comiserating on the scams!

Glad you are getting your laptop back. My sister went on a business trip, some big sales convention. The group went out to dinner and all left their laptops in the backseat of the car. When they came out the back window of the car had been taken out and all the laptops were stolen.

arcy - TSA switches it up to keep the bad guys on their toes. Slightly different rules at different places and different times are by design.

Jennifer, that is awful! I always hoped a lcoked Mac was useless but suspected they have their ways.

That's what I hear too, Dee. What annoys me is they bark it at you like they are so tired of telling you but since it changes, especially if you add in international protocols, so it is hard to know.

My right leg always had to be patted down because my knee is disfigured from a moped accident several millennia ago. How that translates into a weapon of some sort I have no idea.

Note to self. Get a stronger password for my laptop.

Thanks for the PSA, and enjoy your travels!

A year or so ago, my mom came back from a play at Lincoln Center in nycvwhere she had met a friend. She came back alone in a taxi. When she got into her apartment, she realized she had lost her wallet and prescription sunglasses. she had not asked for a receipt.. Panic ensued. My sister and I were there and we googled the New York taxi commission. They were able to use GPS and figure out who picked her up, based on the time and where she was. Hour later, the taxi came to our house, and we found the missing items. All of her money was still in it. Your story and mine, make me believe that sometimes, bureaucracy is a good thing.

Wow, that is impressive, jojo

Excellent sleuthing in your part! I guess I shouldn’t be surprise at the airport’s pile up of orphan laptops. Here in Pittsburgh, the airport has an annual aution of all the unclaimed items. The news often highlights the odd selections. Last year, there were 20 vehicles!

Update- scammers offer me to refund all but $15 for their "efforts." (none). Think about it, the whole thing is automated, and they make $15 for nothing and get your info, too!

I said yes but will still report them in hopes they are stymied or stopped. My CC does not seem to be too concerned. Whatever. This is not a card I use much or use for automated billing so not much of a hassle to change and hey, the fraud losses are on them.

What search terms did you use? I just randomly entered "lost item TSA" into the Google search bar so I could see what to look out for and all my first page results were either for specific airports or .gov.

There were 2 or 3, this one was first. Based on what ive read on Reddit, people got similar results w other airports too.

That’s my worst nightmare, mtn! Glad it wan’t too bad for you.

We put AirTags on the kiddies when we went skiing. I now have them all stored at my house. Everytime I leave home, I get 3 notifications that I have left something behind. This is now my reminder to go disconnect them until I need them again!

mtn, if you are annoyed enough, you could report the ad to Google. It's a sponsored ad so they are paying Google to be the first result for those search terms.

https://support.google.com/My-Ad-Center-Help/answer/13861201?hl=en&sjid=3448069359061847259-NC

Thank you, I just searched on my laptop and there are TWO sponsored ads from thieves. :

Moo ha hah!

Whoever is behind it is no dummy. The website is well done, the only red flag I can see is that the contact address is a janky mail center where people rent boxes. Very few people are as nosy as me and would never think to Google the address.

Also, if you try to click through to the original reviews, the links are dead.

I used to evaluate websites for Google, this would have passed the test.

really? wow. b@stards

If you haven't already reported the ad to G, I would put in the complaint that the company's contact address is a mail box rental place.

We put AirTags on the kiddies when we went skiing. I now have them all stored at my house. Everytime I leave home, I get 3 notifications that I have left something behind. This is now my reminder to go disconnect them until I need them again!

@bbstx are they Apple airtags? If so, you can tell them where home is so they know not to alert you when you leave. We keep ours in our luggage and we don't get alerted everytime we leave the house. We do get alerted everytime we leave our hotel room when on vacation which just makes us laugh each time.

Thanks, jsk. They are Apple Air Tags. I tried to change them. I think I’m getting notices from the ones that DD set up. I had 6 total so she set up half of them and I set up the other half. I’ll have to get her to do whatever needs to be done with them.

Re: laptops: one of my friends had his MacBook Pro stolen in a burglary. He tracked it with the "find my" app or similar and located it at the Apple store in a mall in the next large city. He called the police, they wouldn't do anything. He called the store, they wouldn't help him, so he just had to believe there was someone working there who was receiving stolen computers and hacking through the passwords (or whatever had to be done to make them sellable).