zaterdag 30 mei 2020

Adventure in Corona times

Ok, so I can get pretty distracted sometimes. I stepped off my bike yesterday and forgot my phone on my bike, or it fell out of my pocket. It was a pretty expensive phone...
I was late for teaching via Skype in my home. So I was in a rush. Anyway, my wife called me, that my friend called my phone and talked to this guy who spoke American English and seemed very friendly. He claimed he was somewhere in Amsterdam and that I could call him and that he would give me the phone.
Looking at find my iPhone I saw that after the phonemail with my friend he turned off my phone in front of my house though. He lied about where he was apparently. Also, why would he give back my phone and then turn it off. I figured he had bad intentions and wanted to keep my phone. I couldn't reach my phone for the next two hours.
I had an appointment with the kids at my parents' place. I decided to take my computer to my parents' place to look at find my iPhone every once in a while. Low and behold, my phone was turned on at 19:30 at the location where he claimed to be before. But he didn't have my code so he couldn't call and I couldn't call him. Fortunately my mobile data was turned on so I could track the phone. My wife and dad went to the place where he was supposed to be and I kept looking at my computer. But they couldn't find anyone. They entered every shop in the radius of find my iPhone. So I decided to go as well.
With my computer. On the corner of the street I took out my computer to hook it up to my wife's hotspot and see if the phone was still there. Then the computer noticed my computer was very close and asked me if I wanted to connect to it. That only works if it really really close! I was going mad. I tried to determine where the signal was strongest and ended up in front of the supermarket close by.
There was a guy in front of the supermarket who spoke to me. He asked me what I was looking for. We started talking. But he spoke quite incoherently. I asked him after a couple of minutes whether he had my phone. He said he might. I told him I had a picture of my wife on the phone. He said that he had a phone with a woman on it. My wife was standing right there and I pointed her out.
Finally he gave me my phone. I told him I pout a rewards on it and that I was going to give him the money. We talked a bit more. I asked him where he found the phone and he started telling a vague story about a corrupt cop which had nothing to do with the phone. "There was money exchanged he said", when I asked him again where he found the phone. His buddies across from the street had something to do with it. I couldn't make sense of it. Moreover, he said he was waiting for me and decided to stay at one location so I could find him.
Anyway, I had my phone, gave him the reward and went home, still puzzled. What just happened? Why did this guy take my phone? Why did he answer the phone, tell my friend he was going to give back my phone and then turn it off. And lie about his location, eventually ending up on that location? What did his biddies have to do with it? Why was there money exchanged over my phone? Why did he want to give me back my phone? Did he really stay at one location so I could find him? .....?!?!?

Quite an adventure!