Don’t Fall for the Stolen IPhone Scam
So, your iPhone has been stolen. Obviously you’re sad, but it’s time for you to move on, so you apply for insurance and buy a new phone. Some time later, you start receiving disturbing messages from a stranger who claims to have bought your stolen iPhone and now has access to everything you have stored on it. They say they have your messages, saved credit cards, passwords and even your SIM card, so they intercept all your phone calls.
However, this stranger doesn’t need anything from you . No, they’re just Good Samaritans warning you that that iPhone, with all your personal identifying information, will be sold on the black market, and that the smart move is to delete it from your Apple ID. Then you can erase data from your phone and not be afraid that your data will fall into the wrong hands. They may even include instructions on how to remove the phone from your account, in case you don’t know how to do it.
If you ever find yourself in this position, don’t do it . This person does not care about you and your personal data is not at risk: it is a scam . In fact, the reason they desperately want you to remove your iPhone from Find My is because Apple’s security feature works too well. That’s what’s happening.
How scammers use Find My against you
When you set up Find My on your iPhone, it doesn’t just let you find your phone if you lose it. This feature also automatically enables a security feature known as Activation Lock, which ties your iPhone to your Apple ID username and password. Activation Lock can’t be reversed by resetting it—even if thieves wipe your iPhone, they won’t be able to set it up without first providing your Apple ID credentials.
This is one of Apple’s best security features and ensures that a stolen iPhone will be worth about the same as a fancy paperweight. Thieves won’t be able to get in without your iPhone passcode or Apple ID credentials, so they need you to remove your iPhone from Find My, which is the only way to disable Activation Lock. Once you do this, they can reset the phone and set it up with their account.
As long as you keep this iPhone linked to your Apple ID, no one will be able to sign in. Don’t listen to aggressive scammers who lie about having access to your personal information: probably the only reason they have access to your phone number is because you turned on lost mode and may have displayed your number on the screen so that anyone -he could contact you if he finds your iPhone.
A locked iPhone is not invulnerable
I don’t want to give the impression that an iPhone with Activation Lock is invulnerable. It’s ideal against thieves who accidentally steal your iPhone, but not all thieves act randomly. Some of them are smart and wait for you to enter your passcode before snatching your iPhone. If they know your password , they will not only be able to unlock your iPhone, but also reset your Apple ID credentials, locking you out of your own Apple account.
In addition to Activation Lock, you should also set up anti-stolen device protection on your iPhone. This makes iOS require scanning Face ID or Touch ID when accessing passwords and passkeys. After this scan, for some features, iOS delays any major changes when using the iPhone in an “unfamiliar location” for one hour. After this time, you will need to re-authenticate. In short, Stolen Device Protection protects your iPhone from thieves who know your password, and Activation Lock protects against forced deletion.
Look, keeping a stolen iPhone on Activation Lock doesn’t guarantee you’ll get it back. In fact, if that iPhone was shipped to another country, you’ll likely never see it again. But why do thieves get away with it? Keep that iPhone in Find My and let them look at their expensive and useless prize.