Jun 25, 2017 - You can enter the serial number in Apple's Warranty coverage checker (if you don't remember the URL, there's a link to it in the 'AppleCare. How to check if your MacBook Pro is eligible for a free battery replacement. Double-click the serial number to highlight it, then press Cmd-C to copy it. Paste the number into the text box on.
I suppose one way would be to write up the serial number and go ask the local police, but most people don't have the serial numbers of their machines written up or the sense to log onto Apple's support to check it up so they don't have anything except a description to give to the police. There are sites like, but I don't think that many people use them. So if we're talking about a bad thief who doesn't know how to reset the device one trick would be to tell the person in question to log into a password protected account. If the person doesn't know the password, then the machine is fairly obviously stolen, however this is not anywhere near 100% as the theif could have reset the machine or it might not have had a password protected account to begin with. Click to expand.Sounds like the OP already bought it.
![Apple Apple](https://storage.googleapis.com/igeeksblog/wp-content/uploads/Check-iMac-and-MacBook-Serial-Number.jpg)
So, since there is no sure way to find out if it is stolen, OP is in the clear in regards to knowingly possessing stolen property (even though anyone with half a brain wouldn't believe that seller's story in the first place, but whatever). The only way OP gets screwed is if someone finds the laptop through some means and the police track it to OP's location and confiscate it.
I for one would pull the hard drive, bash it with a hammer, and put a new one in. Ask the seller if you can see the purchase receipt or if he still has the original box. As a seller, there are a bunch of red flags too. One time I was trying to sell my MBP on craigslist. Had a guy call, he came over to my apartment complex and wanted to take my laptop real quick to 'show his gf the laptop' to see if she liked it. Obviously I said no, she can come here and look at it.
Then he for some reason agreed to the deal and needed to get money. So I told him lets meet at starbucks around 7. He wouldn't come inside, wanted to stay in the parking lot in his car.
SO I asked him to show me the money first, and had a friend of mine hold on to my laptop the entire time. The buyer said 'the envelope is sealed, it just came straight from the bank' RED FLAG. No banks are open after 5-6pm.and chances are was that envelope was full of $1 bills. Called him out on his lie, and told him to GTFO before I report him to the police. Can you do a factory reset to a mac if you forget your admin password? I have never ended to that situation with osx, but with win yes at the moment i have my old win laptop under the bed, and i have no idea what is the password. Last time i used it it was three years ago.
Somehow i understand 'the receipt thing' but original boxes!? Why an earth would i store the empty boxes in my apparment after i have seen that the thing is working right? No way, i would live among boxes:/ i do tend to save receipts but.
Would i find it when i need it? Sure, on someday.