iPhone Query (Lost/Stolen with tracking)

My wife had her iPhone stolen from Hermanus and they switched it on a couple of hours later in Nyanga. Map showed the house and everything. Police weren’t interested so we set it to wipe as soon as it switched on next time.

I put my number as a message on the Lock Screen and proceeded to get lots of scam sms’s saying they were from Apple and the phone had been found.

A month or two later I got a message saying the phone had been switched on and wiped. Actually just looked at the “Find My” app just now and it says erased on 2nd December.
 
Pineapple Smurf said:
Those Pakistanians in those little mobile shops can unlock anything
Clever bunch them
Click to expand...
All they can do is sell the phone for spare parts or try wipe it and resell as used, they cannot unlock it and get your details though unless you have not secured the phone with a pin, passcode and FaceID/TouchID.
Pineapple Smurf said:
I only use WhatsApp on my phone
And I receive OTP's from FNB and TakeAlot
Other than that there is nothing on my phone
The thief will quickly get bored on my phone
Or amused at all my funny stuff in WhatsApp
Click to expand...
If you have mobile banking, they can do quick work of accessing your bank account from your phone if it’s open like that (no pin or passcode). The fact that you get OTPs for banking on that phone should be a reason to insure it’s protected.
Peoples phones are often times not important to them right up until they are stolen. Your phone does a good job of keeping fine details like your regularly visited locations, your phone essentially becomes access to your life depending on what syndicate wants, be it your car or something else. You may not feel you do anything important on it, but what it captures on you daily can be quickly turned to work against you in the right/wrong hands.

Spizz said:
My wife had her iPhone stolen from Hermanus and they switched it on a couple of hours later in Nyanga. Map showed the house and everything. Police weren’t interested so we set it to wipe as soon as it switched on next time.

I put my number as a message on the Lock Screen and proceeded to get lots of scam sms’s saying they were from Apple and the phone had been found.

A month or two later I got a message saying the phone had been switched on and wiped. Actually just looked at the “Find My” app just now and it says erased on 2nd December.
Click to expand...
Pretty similar to what happened to me in early 2020. My iPhone XS Max was stolen from me, I put it into Lost Mode in iCloud on Find My iPhone, set it to wipe as soon as it is turned on, a day or two later I got the message that it was turned on and the wipe was done.

That following week I got the scam SMS’s and ignored them.

Luckily the phone was insured, so they replaced my Xs Max 256gb with an 11 Pro Max 256gb as that was the latest max phone at the time.

Edit:
I did go to SAPS to report the phone stolen just so that I could get the case number for insurance.
 
Tsepz_GP said:
All they can do is sell the phone for spare parts or try wipe it and resell as used, they cannot unlock it and get your details though unless you have not secured the phone with a pin, passcode and FaceID/TouchID.

If you have mobile banking, they can do quick work of accessing your bank account from your phone if it’s open like that (no pin or passcode). The fact that you get OTPs for banking on that phone should be a reason to insure it’s protected.
Peoples phones are often times not important to them right up until they are stolen. Your phone does a good job of keeping fine details like your regularly visited locations, your phone essentially becomes access to your life depending on what syndicate wants, be it your car or something else. You may not feel you do anything important on it, but what it captures on you daily can be quickly turned to work against you in the right/wrong hands.


Pretty similar to what happened to me in early 2020. My iPhone XS Max was stolen from me, I put it into Lost Mode in iCloud on Find My iPhone, set it to wipe as soon as it is turned on, a day or two later I got the message that it was turned on and the wipe was done.

That following week I got the scam SMS’s and ignored them.

Luckily the phone was insured, so they replaced my Xs Max 256gb with an 11 Pro Max 256gb as that was the latest max phone at the time.

Edit:
I did go to SAPS to report the phone stolen just so that I could get the case number for insurance.
Click to expand...
I said I only have WhatsApp installed.
No mobile banking, only default apps that come with the phone that I never even touch. Except Calculator sometimes
 
had a few phones stolen from me (Android, natch), managed to wipe them (Google) and swap the SIM card ASAP to another one so all my OTP's and such were moved over,
let me ask the guys here if its worth going and buying a program such as this:

Cerberus: Anti-theft, Phone tracker, MDM, Personal safety

Cerberus is a suite of services to protect your phone, yourself and your loved ones: Antitheft - the best protection you can get to recover your misplaced, lost or stolen Android device; Persona - get help in an emergency, share real-time location with your family and friends; Kids - tool for...
www.cerberusapp.com www.cerberusapp.com

I know idiotphones are hot property, probably because the parts are interchangeable and those pakistanis fix your phone with batteries they get off stolen phones.
I mean its not like idiotphones have special markings with the serial numbers like data dots that cant be removed and can be traced back to the phone that was stolen.

that might actually help in SA with all the theft, assuming our police actually check Recovered property properly for those "data dots"
 
Tsepz_GP said:
All they can do is sell the phone for spare parts or try wipe it and resell as used, they cannot unlock it and get your details though unless you have not secured the phone with a pin, passcode and FaceID/TouchID.

If you have mobile banking, they can do quick work of accessing your bank account from your phone if it’s open like that (no pin or passcode). The fact that you get OTPs for banking on that phone should be a reason to insure it’s protected.
Peoples phones are often times not important to them right up until they are stolen. Your phone does a good job of keeping fine details like your regularly visited locations, your phone essentially becomes access to your life depending on what syndicate wants, be it your car or something else. You may not feel you do anything important on it, but what it captures on you daily can be quickly turned to work against you in the right/wrong hands.


Pretty similar to what happened to me in early 2020. My iPhone XS Max was stolen from me, I put it into Lost Mode in iCloud on Find My iPhone, set it to wipe as soon as it is turned on, a day or two later I got the message that it was turned on and the wipe was done.

That following week I got the scam SMS’s and ignored them.

Luckily the phone was insured, so they replaced my Xs Max 256gb with an 11 Pro Max 256gb as that was the latest max phone at the time.

Edit:
I did go to SAPS to report the phone stolen just so that I could get the case number for insurance.
Click to expand...

Yep, the insurance paid out cash so I suggested she used an old 7 until Black Friday where I expected big things with the eBucks. Unfortunately there were no deals on the 12s or 13s, but I ended up getting her a XR for equivalent of about R5,800 iirc which she is quite happy with so long :)
 
medicnick83 said:
I ask because we had tourists staying upstairs - apparently the phone was stolen - now because they are very pretty ladies, apparently SAPS went with them to EXACTLY where the phone was, the lady pointed out the phone and SAPS was there and did NOTHING to get the phone from the guys who had the phone.

I don't know more details other than what I just typed - having said that.

I want to make sure I am prepared for this situation - SHOULD it ever happen.
Click to expand...
First thing you need to do is reload the keyboard app. Your caps lock seem to be broken.
 
Pineapple Smurf said:
I said I only have WhatsApp installed.
No mobile banking, only default apps that come with the phone that I never even touch. Except Calculator sometimes
Click to expand...

So if I picked up your phone and asked Google Assistant to “take me home” it wouldn’t know where that is?
 
eg2505 said:
had a few phones stolen from me (Android, natch), managed to wipe them (Google) and swap the SIM card ASAP to another one so all my OTP's and such were moved over,
let me ask the guys here if its worth going and buying a program such as this:

Cerberus: Anti-theft, Phone tracker, MDM, Personal safety

Cerberus is a suite of services to protect your phone, yourself and your loved ones: Antitheft - the best protection you can get to recover your misplaced, lost or stolen Android device; Persona - get help in an emergency, share real-time location with your family and friends; Kids - tool for...
www.cerberusapp.com www.cerberusapp.com

I know idiotphones are hot property, probably because the parts are interchangeable and those pakistanis fix your phone with batteries they get off stolen phones.
I mean its not like idiotphones have special markings with the serial numbers like data dots that cant be removed and can be traced back to the phone that was stolen.

that might actually help in SA with all the theft, assuming our police actually check Recovered property properly for those "data dots"
Click to expand...

Actually a lot of the parts are serial linked and can’t just be swopped.
 
SauRoNZA said:
So if I picked up your phone and asked Google Assistant to “take me home” it wouldn’t know where that is?
Click to expand...
I actually fo not give a **** if google takes me home or not. If a killer wants me dead at home he can come to my home anytime he wants, he doesn't have to use google to find me
 
to be honest I used to eb someone who got the latest greatest iphone when they were released. Now I couldnt care about owning expensive phones. Couldnt be bothered
 
Pineapple Smurf said:
I actually fo not give a **** if google takes me home or not. If a killer wants me dead at home he can come to my home anytime he wants, he doesn't have to use google to find me
Click to expand...

It was a mere example of the data living in there that could be put to nefarious use.

It could very well be “take me to mom’s house” or some such.

Mom answers the door and they say look we found your son’s phone. She says oh you are such lovely people come in for tea.

Etc etc.
 
SauRoNZA said:
It was a mere example of the data living in there that could be put to nefarious use.

It could very well be “take me to mom’s house” or some such.

Mom answers the door and they say look we found your son’s phone. She says oh you are such lovely people come in for tea.

Etc etc.
Click to expand...
LOL

I must give it a try on my phone, I dont think Ive ever even opened Google Assist on my phone before, wouldnt even know where to find it. Must I install Chrome to find it? I dont have any web browsers on my phone
 
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