I've virtually tracked down my missing/stolen iPod Touch, and have discovered all sorts of personal information about the person who is now using it. How can I reclaim it?

14-15 years is old enough to figure out that someone else's details are on an iPhone. But even if she's completely technologically clueless, she doesn't get to keep stolen property. Definitely make sure that you can prove original ownership, then contact the school. Notify them that one of their students is using a stolen phone - your contact information hasn't been erased, and you've been receiving updates on her activity. Mention that you only want the phone back, that you don't care who the student is, and give them any relevant information they'd need to narrow it down to the culprit. If they start turning you away, tell them that you're willing to get the police involved to get back stolen property and their cooperation right now would make it easier on everyone. All you want is your phone.

I keep hearing "call the school" but nobody has mentioned to call her Army Cadet group. Would that be a better way to have an authority figure contact her?

That said, that's not what I would do. I would send her another note telling her (not asking her) what's going to happen. Say you know who she is and where she goes to school, and that all you want is your ipod back. So if she's willing to meet you in front of the school to claim her reward, you'll be happy to let that be the end of it. I'd also say that if she doesn't want to claim the reward, you'll contact the school administration. Don't do this, it makes you sound like some sort of creeper/kidnapper/sex offender. Don't tell a 14 year old girl to meet you in front of her school to "claim her reward." Give it up. I don't see it as "stolen." You left the thing on a plane and the person who came along behind you pocketed it. That's technically theft, but she didn't victimize you to get it.

Call (don't email) the school. Ask to speak with the principal. Explain your situation in the amount of detail you explained here. Emphasize that you do not wish to press charges criminally, but you want the school to take action by asking her parents to get in touch with you. Verify that you can physically describe the iPod including the songs that were on it etc. I'm pretty sure the school will take action. I dont' think there's anything babyish about acting on this.

I say call the cops. If she didn't steal it, then she can flip on the person who sold her your iPod. I don't understand people who are telling you to let it go. What kind of message does that send to her? It's not OK to keep something that you know is stolen.

FWIW, the high schools that I'm familiar with (where friends are teachers at the schools) take this sort of thing quite seriously. One incident involved a high school student with an iPod that was confiscated because the teacher had a firm rule about no fiddling with phones/mp3 players in class. The teacher noticed the iPod was engraved with a name that did not match the student who was in possession of the iPod. The issue was taken up with the principal who reported it to the police and the police discovered the iPod, along with several thousand dollars worth of laptops, had been reported stolen from another high school's computer lab. The stolen laptops turned up in the student's home. Anyway, it's a long string but you never know where it might lead. Contact the school administrator. It would be better if you had a record of the loss (insurance claim, police report, report to the airline) but just present what you have and let them sort it out with the student. Do not contact the student directly, she's a minor and you just don't want to go there.

I think contacting the school administrator would be a good way to try. Not only (if they are interested and convinced you are on the up-and-up) might you get it back, you would also be providing a number of (as of now unwelcome) lessons for this young woman. Such as, everything typed into the Internet lasts forever and is easy to find. Plus, something you possess that is not yours may well not STAY yours. In any event, good luck.

There's no responsibility here to "send a message". It actually IS okay to keep something you find, sometimes. ... Turning in an expensive find is harder than turning in a five dollar bill. WHAT? Um, no, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost,_mislaid,_and_abandoned_property Anyone who would argue that it is okay to keep someone else's property should assess how they would feel if they lost something valuable, subsequently found it, only to be told to go pound sand when respectfully requesting its return. School's would be involved in such a situation because the property is being used there, and (like it or not) it is, in fact, the school's role to instruct students in acceptable social behavior; something they are involved in, all day, every day.

You need to: Stop trying to find out anything more about her. Print out all the notes and email that identify her. Create a bio of her with school/schedule/cadet group (aka her personal info) Include a list of her friends' names/email addresses etc Once you have your packet, make a couple of copies. It would be helpful if you have any paperwork from the airline reporting the missing iPod, the receipt of purchase, serial number etc. Even your own syched stuff before the loss could help. Take the copies into your local police station and ask to speak to the community action officer (or school liaison or someone similar, you might consider calling first to get an appointment with the right person). Lay out the situation for this person and hand over a copy of the information. Tell them you offered her a reward and what her response was then tell the person: "This girl has given me a lot of info about herself. I don't think she understands how risky her behavior is. She's using stolen property and I'd like for her to learn a lesson about stealing but I'm not the person who needs to teach it to her. I'd like my property back. I think I've given you enough information to track her down easily. I could have done it but it didn't feel right. If I had a kid her age, I wouldn't want some stranger having this kind of info and using it to track her down." Give the police your contact info and be prepared to walk away without your property. Do nothing further to contact the girl or follow her activities. If you have a couple of trustworthy friends, you might want to take them with you. While you are trying to do the right thing, you have gotten some rather private info about a minor and you've made contact with her. You've done nothing wrong but don't make it your word vs the police* *for the record, I trust the police department but they're a group of people who've been trained to think of the worst case scenario. You can't blame them if they think the worst of any scenario you present to them. The worst may include suspecting you of a crime.