Stolen iPhone - Advice needed

cYcLIc

cYcLIc

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Sup,

My phone was stolen on Monday morning. I used Find My iPhone to put it into Lock Mode after the perp connected to the net. Now I have 3 questions:

1) Should I report it to the police and have the IMEI blocked? Is this necessary now that the phone is in Lock Mode?
2) Should I leave the phone in Lock Mode or should I send through an erase request. I also have a screen lock on the phone.
3) Can the phone be hacked and reused even after being put into Lock Mode?

Thanks.
 
Lost an iPhone 5c some years back, put it on lost mode, i tell you it hasn't come online since. I believe it is useless now. Even if they hack it, iCloud lock will disable the cellular antenna's, basically it'll only work as an iPod. Send through an Erase request too.

I wouldn't even bother going to the police to report it stolen unless it was a contract/work phone
 
namzsteve said:
Lost an iPhone 5c some years back, put it on lost mode, i tell you it hasn't come online since. I believe it is useless now. Even if they hack it, iCloud lock will disable the cellular antenna's, basically it'll only work as an iPod. Send through an Erase request too.

I wouldn't even bother going to the police to report it stolen unless it was a contract/work phone
Click to expand...

I hear that once the phone is erased, you cant track it. I will give it a week and see if it doesn't come online again.

Hamster said:
Insurance claim?
Click to expand...

No claim. I bought the phone cash. Just want to make life difficult for the thieves.

Bryn said:
Why didn't you track it and go get it back?
Click to expand...

I tracked it to FNB in town. Chances of actually finding it there are very slim at this point. Dude could have just turned it on outside the building after buying a sim from the cellphone shop across the road. I'm hoping that it will come online again in a location that is not as dodgy and densely populated as town.
 
-Put phone in lost mode via ifinder
-Open a case with SAPS
-Send case details to Core asking them to hotlist it.
-Block IMEI via network.
 
namzsteve said:
I believe it is useless now. Even if they hack it, iCloud lock will disable the cellular antenna's, basically it'll only work as an iPod.
Click to expand...

I think you are wrong about that. My boss's phone(iPhone X) got stolen over the long weekend from Beerhouse Fourways. This morning she gets a message that the phone was tracked. When she logs in, the phone is removed and the message "unable to track anymore". Somehow, they were able to login into her Apple account from hacking the phone as the phone was locked. She did lock the phone and did also network lock through Vodacom but they still managed to get in and remove it from tracking. She didn't change her Apple password after it was stolen. Maybe that could have prevented them from logging in.
 
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CyCliC said:
I tracked it to FNB in town. Chances of actually finding it there are very slim at this point. Dude could have just turned it on outside the building after buying a sim from the cellphone shop across the road. I'm hoping that it will come online again in a location that is not as dodgy and densely populated as town.
Click to expand...

You can track as frequently as you want though. So just keep tracking it. A relatively safe location like a bank would be an ideal recovery zone, as opposed to a township or something.

My cousin had his iPhone stolen a few years ago. He quickly assembled enough friends to pack his car and they set off to recover it. They approached the likely thief, tactically surrounded him, politely asked for the phone, got it back and then left.
 
CyberDemon said:
I think you are wrong about that. My boss's phone(iPhone X) got stolen over the long weekend from Beerhouse Fourways. This morning she gets a message that the phone was tracked. When she logs in, the phone is removed and the message "unable to track anymore". Somehow, they were able to login into her Apple account from hacking the phone as the phone was locked. She did lock the phone and did also network lock through Vodacom but they still managed to get in and remove it from tracking. She didn't change her Apple password after it was stolen. Maybe that could have prevented them from logging in.
Click to expand...

Doesn't mean they managed to get in. Could mean it automatically erased after they tried to hack the lock.
 
Bryn said:
You can track as frequently as you want though. So just keep tracking it. A relatively safe location like a bank would be an ideal recovery zone, as opposed to a township or something.

My cousin had his iPhone stolen a few years ago. He quickly assembled enough friends to pack his car and they set off to recover it. They approached the likely thief, tactically surrounded him, politely asked for the phone, got it back and then left.
Click to expand...

It was literally only on for a minute, and it was a 19km drive from where I was. I doubt I would have fund the guy when I got there. Also, the bank was closed, so he was likely passing by or something.

CyberDemon said:
I think you are wrong about that. My boss's phone(iPhone X) got stolen over the long weekend from Beerhouse Fourways. This morning she gets a message that the phone was tracked. When she logs in, the phone is removed and the message "unable to track anymore". Somehow, they were able to login into her Apple account from hacking the phone as the phone was locked. She did lock the phone and did also network lock through Vodacom but they still managed to get in and remove it from tracking. She didn't change her Apple password after it was stolen. Maybe that could have prevented them from logging in.
Click to expand...

Did she not also send an erase request through Find My iPhone? Once you erase, the phone cannot be tracked anymore. For them to bypass Lock Mode and get through the lock screen and also get into her iCloud account is a bit of a stretch, unless they knew her personally.
 
CyCliC said:
Did she not also send an erase request through Find My iPhone? Once you erase, the phone cannot be tracked anymore. For them to bypass Lock Mode and get through the lock screen and also get into her iCloud account is a bit of a stretch, unless they knew her personally.
Click to expand...

Or she had one of those "123465" passcode

CyberDemon said:
I think you are wrong about that. My boss's phone(iPhone X) got stolen over the long weekend from Beerhouse Fourways. This morning she gets a message that the phone was tracked. When she logs in, the phone is removed and the message "unable to track anymore". Somehow, they were able to login into her Apple account from hacking the phone as the phone was locked. She did lock the phone and did also network lock through Vodacom but they still managed to get in and remove it from tracking. She didn't change her Apple password after it was stolen. Maybe that could have prevented them from logging in.
Click to expand...

There is no way anyone will get into the phone without the correct passcode
 
Am I the only one that always struggles with an "not erased" iPhone, where I need the previous owners details? Unless it's an insurance claim, don't waste time with SAPS. You can maybe remote wipe it, but I wouldn't even bother.

Did you have a passcode or finger print set up at least?
 
Leave message on lockscreen to phone for reward. Laugh when either dumb**** crim or future buyer phones and tell them to get shafted for stealing

*Personal experience*
 
CyCliC said:
It was literally only on for a minute, and it was a 19km drive from where I was. I doubt I would have fund the guy when I got there. Also, the bank was closed, so he was likely passing by or something.



Did she not also send an erase request through Find My iPhone? Once you erase, the phone cannot be tracked anymore. For them to bypass Lock Mode and get through the lock screen and also get into her iCloud account is a bit of a stretch, unless they knew her personally.
Click to expand...

Maybe thats what happened. I'll find out more.
 
CyberDemon said:
Perhaps it is the erase that did that as mentioned above. Apologies.
Click to expand...

It appears as though your boss may have been a victim of a phishing attack. Apparently once they get your phone, they send you a message (email or sms depending on what mode of contact is on the Lost Mode message) with a fake iCloud link stating your phone has been found. You then log into the fake page, they get your password and then remove the phone themselves. Smh
 
CyCliC said:
It appears as though your boss may have been a victim of a phishing attack. Apparently once they get your phone, they send you a message (email or sms depending on what mode of contact is on the Lost Mode message) with a fake iCloud link stating your phone has been found. You then log into the fake page, they get your password and then remove the phone themselves. Smh
Click to expand...

So turns out this exactly what happened. Received the SMS with the link. She clicked the link and entered her password in the fake site. :cry:
 
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If you need a new phone. I can recommend the Nokia 8 :)
 
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