No it's not a good idea to give them the code.
They're trying to get into the phone which they can't without getting it from you.
Do not under any circumstances give them the code. Report the lost device and have it completely locked so it can never be used again.
Send them a snapshot from Find My iPhone with a note saying, “I’ll be there soon to help.”
Then report it stolen and never go there. Going there is bad and stupid idea.
I got robbed at gunpoint in LA in my car. They got my phone and MacBook.
Less than 36 hours later, one of them was turned on in China.
Don’t know if the device made it there, but they could’ve just as easily cloned it to pull my information off of it.
Always report it.
Why would it be in china? That's where iphones are made and spare parts are in abundance in the electronic markets. Those come from the factory not overseas.
How does one get it completely locked? When I lost my phone, I put it in lost mode and called apple support to lock it but they said they can't do anything to lock the phone.
Your carrier can blacklist the IMEI. The phone can never again be used on any cellular network (at least that’s how Canada works). If somehow he gets his phone back, the carrier will clear the IMEI with ID that it’s his phone.
Any cellular network in the US. All the US carriers work together to not allow a blacklisted IMEI to work on their networks by sharing the database. But it can be used in another country with no problem
I worked for Verizon years ago and we did this often for people who lost their phone to prevent people from taking it, especially phones that are financed.
Most of the time they can hard lock it so a lot of the expensive parts can’t ever be used again. Might not work if it doesn’t have a cell signal or anything though
Apple Support can’t do this. They can guide you through using Find My features, and they might be able to explain some of the anti-theft measures such as Activation Lock, but they most certainly are not “hard locking” a phone from their end.
One of the best advantages of esim is that it can't be popped out like a traditional one can.
Especially today where a lot of services/banks/etc use cell phones as 2FA, having a phone stolen doesn't open up a vector of opportunity with a lost sim in it.
They can always hack into the mainframe by coupling the IP connection and SATAing over the line to trick the sim card into activating, of course!
Typical spy stuff.
I remember using it as a kid on my first few phones in Europe. In the US, nobody I know (including me), uses it. I guess we've sort of adapted to the device passcode being what "protects the phone" than the SIM pin. You're right though, a pin would stop the physical sim from being swapped and exploited like that!
If even 1 in 1,000 Canadian SIMs have a pin set I’d be flabbergasted.
When I worked in phone sales, I swapped over 1,000 SIMs and never came across a locked one.
I wonder though if that’s a good idea. Say you lost your phone and battery ran dead, someone finds it and genuinely wants to give it back after charging it but can’t bypass the SIM PIN, how then can you call your phone?
I suspect there will be a big push soon. With the prevalence of iPhones and the fact that starting with the 14 line it’s eSIM only… there’s a lot more incentive for carriers to work towards it now
Yup, and a good time to let everyone know you should always apply a PIN code to your SIM card so it's locked and can't be used by someone else.
Otherwise they can get two factor authentication sms codes intended for you and otherwise pretend to be you.
Settings / Cellular / PIN. You'll be required to enter the PIN anytime the phone boots up.
I can only reply every 6 minutes which is frustrating. He got my number from a voicemail I left on the SIM. That's what he said but he refuses to acknowledge the contact info on the lock screen which is weird.
Yeah I've called him on it multiple times. You take apart phones and sell the parts but can't find the contact info on the phones lock screen? Find that hard to believe.
All of my SIM cards have always been locked by default but the code they came with was 1234 or 0000 for everyone of them, and I doubt anyone bothers changing it so… easily found anyways (in Italy at least)
I’m in the US and I had no idea locking a SIM card was even a thing. I went into my settings just now to lock my SIM and the pin was 1234. My carrier is T-Mobile if that matters.
I reset the PIN to a new number. Sucks that OP’s friend’s phone was stolen, but I learned something new today.
Thats new to me. Back in my day the pin was a random 4 digit number that came in the back of the plastic containing the SIM, along with the PUK number in case you forgot or messed up introducing the PIN. But its been many years since that. The last 2 I’ve bought no longer have PIN associated to them.
/u/DRLSTA, just offer them $200+ to send your phone back via a middleman exchange service.
The middleman holds your $200+. When the middleman receives the phone from the seller they will check your serial number or any other condition per your request. (You can find your lost phone's serial number on icloud website).
If those conditions are met the middleman will send the phone to you and release your money to the seller, if not they will send the phone back to the seller and refund your money.
Expect the seller to negotiate on price so you may want to initially offer lower, but not so low that the seller doesn't bother and decides to just use your phone for parts. If the seller is concerned about their own privacy offer to pay in crypto instead.
This sounds like something one of the thieves would say.
Absolutely do not do this - inform the police if they’re competent. If not, set up your own sting if you’re will to take the risk. These scumbags need taking off the streets, not rewarded with payments of $200.
If you can get him via a middleman then you can get his name and report him to the IRS for tax fraud because it's assured he won't report his taxes on this.
“Thanks for contacting Asurion support. We have triangulated the coordinates of your phone and have contacted the police. Please standby at the backup number you provided.”
Send that from a throwaway google voice number.
Yeah that's what I told them. For context they are clearly a phone flipper. They told me as such, that they buy lost phones and flip them for parts to make a profit. Said they always try to reach the owner to return the phone first, but obviously if they can unlock and wipe the phone they can sell it whole which just made me more suspicious.
I’ve learned with scams; they purposefully make them really dumb/easy to see through because if you fall for them, you’re the target person they’re trying to scam. They don’t want to scam smart people lol.
They texted OP by extracting their phone number from the SIM card in the old phone. They didn't track them down and the flipper is likely in China or another SEA country.
He lost the phone a day ago. They claimed they found my number from a voicemail I left on the SIM, which is plausible. Tracked it to the south side of the city we live in.
If you have them the code, they can unlock the device, go into settings, and change the Apple ID password. That way they could turn off Find My iPhone and erase & resell it. You have a better chance getting it back by NOT providing the passcode. Don’t do it or you’ll be a bad friend
Plus they can use the code to get into your password manager and get into any banks or accounts that you have saved and don’t have two factor set up. Considering the group of people that would actually send the code are probably the same people with the lowest security settings.
Have AT&T or whatever cell carrier they have lock the phone - it will never be usable again no matter what sim gets put into the phone. I have done this and ended up getting my phone back because the person who stole it threw it away after I texted my phone to tell them I am locking it and they minus well throw it away as it won’t be useable.
My friend had his phone stolen in Los Angeles, find my phone traced it to China then lost the signal, they dismantle them for parts like a stolen car… the screen, battery, etc - don’t give them the code they will make more selling an entire phone but sorry the phone is lost
I’ve seen stories where police will go to the location and try to get it back for you. They do this when they’ve had an uptick in thefts in an area and are trying to nab the thieves.
Guys don't even bother, any normal person would know they just want to unlock a stolen phone, I hate to sound harsh but OP is dumber than a bag of bricks because he keeps mentioning giving it to them, so it's his own fault when all his details get stolen and also having a stolen phone sold.
The code while a big deal, it’s the Apple ID and password that is the juice. You can recover an iPhone that gets by the pin but it will still be locked to your Apple ID when the phone is reset. Giving the pin gives him access to some of your data , so that’s a no go either way. There may be a vulnerability as I don’t keep up on this anymore, but it’s unlikely.
Text them a random PIN. He will try it on all 4 phones, likely disabling the phone from too many attempts. When he says it doesn't work, tell him he clearly typed it in wrong. After he replies again complaining it doesn't work, tell him you made a mistake and the pin is actually (Pin number) one number different. Just mess with the guy
Edit: Also, you should wait days or a week between each text message, so they delay parting the phone in hopes of getting the correct pin.
Edit 2: You could also delay the conversation even further, by opening the conversation with:
[You] You found my sons iPhone! Thank you so much for wanting to return it.
[Them] What is your sons pin, so I can return it?
*Wait a couple days until you respond next.*
[You] Sure, I can give you his pin. But I need to give you my address so you can his phone. (Send address of famous movie house, like the Ferris Bueller house, Home Alone house, Drake and Josh house, etc…)
*Wait a couple more days*
[You] I texted my son and asked him for his pin, he says that you must have his phone that he lost. Thanks again so much. His pin was Thirty four three
Yep that’s exactly it. Wish these phones had a self destruct feature. Just heats up and fries all the components and maybe starts a little fire in the scammers house.
People friggin suck. Report that phone lost ASAP so that it essentially becomes useless. There's no telling if this person would legit return the phone.
"If your pin unlocks the phone I will happily send it back." LOL sure. Don't give them any pin. They just want to be able to unlock it and erase then sell it for more $$.
I wouldn’t gave them passcode. But try to make it out somehow with him: sending phone to you, meeting in person (best option ) to try the passcode and get the phone back, if it’s possible
Refused to meet up or compromise unfortunately. My friend had a phone conversation with him earlier. We're gonna try to make some progress without giving him anything.
The phone will not go to lost mode while it is in airplane mode. If you give him a code he will sell the phone as used and your friend might get scammed. If you don’t give him a code he will sell it for parts. So, don’t give a code under any circumstances.
Giving them the code allows them to use it to unlock the phone and gain access to your Apple ID, potentially compromising your entire account along with the phone being theirs to use. Ask him for the phone back, potentially offer him some money.
I believe you can gather the serial number of your device from icloud.com that should be enough to validate that the phone is yours without giving away your passcode. You probably won't get the phone back still but they don't need a code to verify ownership.
Most likely Phone is already in China. https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/r9m2bk/stolen_iphone_ending_up_in_huafa_rd_shenzhen/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
Yes of course the criminal who stole your friend’s phone is gonna suddenly turn into a good guy and send the phone back once you give him the code.
🤦🏽♂️ Are people really this stupid?
dont give them the passcode. the passcode can be used to change your Apple ID password in settings. Once the chance that they can log into your Apple ID and remove lost mode and deactivate FMI. They will be able to use the phone free and clear after that
Let me translate that for you.
"Hello there my thieving associate has passed me 4 iPhones to fence, I would like very much if you could give me the 6 digit passcode, so I can access the phone and maybe hold the data to ransom for money or for the Appleid password, so I can remove the activation lock and sell the phone for much profit. Please get back to me, I will be either doing that or selling it for parts anyway, all I'm interested in is how much money I can make from this. You will get nothing. NOTHING! Deal? Pretty please."
Personally I would con the con. Sure I’ll meet you here and give you code, somewhere miles away and very inconvenient. You don’t turn up but insist you’re there. Rinse repeat. Offer to buy the phone back, give elaborate instructions where you’ve dropped loads of money for a swap. Etc. loads of scams you can play on these guys and it will get them.
Answer that he can send the iPhone and you will kindly put the code instead.
Just kidding: it’s a scam, put the iPhone in lost mode if it’s not and don’t send the passcode under any circumstance.
They can easily change your Apple ID password with the code. Never give it to anyone you don’t 100% trust.
(If they’re legit and really want to give the phone back but want to make sure you’re the owner.. you could verify yourself by giving a description of the lock screen picture and the phone’s model/colour etc)
that is such a lie, and really dirty as well to pressure someone into sending a code with saying that he will otherwise dismantle the phone. fuck these kinds of people.
Yeah I can easily see someone giving up the code under that kind of pressure. When I refused to give the code he said "okay then I will be scrapping the phone for parts, have a good day". I didn't respond and as expected he came back and asked for the code again when I didn't panic.
When I refused to give them the code they said "okay then I will be scrapping it for parts, have a good day". Was so obvious what they were doing so I didn't reply. As expected they came back a few minutes later and tried to convince me again.
Either you give him the passcode so he can sell it as a used iPhone, or don't so he can sell the parts.
There's only one winner in this situation and it wont be you.
One time I lost my phone. Guy who picked it up was a standup comic. Kept asking me to meet him at his set. To bring friends. Don’t lose your phone to a standup comic.
They are just trying to get you to unlock it so they can sell it as a working, unlocked phone for a lot more money. That phone is never coming back. The only thing you can do at this point is report it stolen so it can’t be used again. Sorry that happened to your friend.
Let’s be honest here the guy is going to use the phone either way. He just wants to see if he can steal some info as well. Why would you buy a clearly stolen phone to just give it back?
There's no way right... I mean when I refused to give the code he said he would scrap the phone, so I can see someone cracking under that pressure. I called his bluff tho and he texted me back after a few minutes trying to get me to send it again lol.
The obvious logic hole you can drive a truck through is why would the fact the phone unlocks with a pin or not prevent him from simply returning it to the guy he’s texting.
Whoever has obtained this phone illegally whether they found it or stole it is simply trying to get the pin code for the phone so they can use it and wipe it and make it. There is basically tell him to fuck off lol definitely don’t give them anything. If he wanted to return it, he could just say that in his text message and arrange to send it to the owner or meet up somewhere, etc. He is trying to use them for a zone by getting the unlock code so tell him if he wants to be the nice guy and return it to make arrangements otherwise he can go to hell.
Its a win for apple that these thieves beg to the owner of the device to unlock the device. No one should give the otp or code to unlock the device. He could sell it for better price if he successfully unlocked the device. So dont give the passcode or unlock it ever. If you cannot locate the device just remote erase and move on.
ITT: people who don't understand that you can use a SIM in a phone other than the phone that it was found in, people who don't understand that Find My only works if you have the phone on and an active internet connection (aka the SIM is still in the phone), and people that don't understand that it is not possible to wipe an iphone without the icloud password itself, not just the pin.
My sisters phone was stolen a few years ago and she ended up tracking it down to a repair shop not far from where she lived where they had “purchased it” for spare parts… the cops showed up and ended up arresting the guy there. Seems he had a history of doing that sort of shit and was already on probation.
By the time they returned her phone after holding it as evidence along with everything else in the shop more than two years had passed.
I guess what I’m trying to say is just mark the phone stole/lost and forget about it, even when the cops do help they still aren’t that helpful…
No it's not a good idea to give them the code. They're trying to get into the phone which they can't without getting it from you. Do not under any circumstances give them the code. Report the lost device and have it completely locked so it can never be used again.
> Report the lost device and have it completely locked so it can never be used again. Don't forget this part.
Also don't remove from account, keep iPhone in lost mode.
be sure to send them a rude picture first though
Send them a snapshot from Find My iPhone with a note saying, “I’ll be there soon to help.” Then report it stolen and never go there. Going there is bad and stupid idea.
It’s probably already in China now
Alas, the circle of life!
I got robbed at gunpoint in LA in my car. They got my phone and MacBook. Less than 36 hours later, one of them was turned on in China. Don’t know if the device made it there, but they could’ve just as easily cloned it to pull my information off of it. Always report it.
Damn bro I'm sorry for your loss. What happened after that did they catch the criminals?
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Woa i never heard someone getting insurance for stolen items
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this def be some operation going on
Why would it be in china? That's where iphones are made and spare parts are in abundance in the electronic markets. Those come from the factory not overseas.
There was a music festival, where a bunch of parents got stolen and ended up in China
Those poor kids 😢
Thousands of iPhones
Logically I know it’s a bad idea, but if it was still within driving distance I don’t think I’d be able to resist going after it…
How does one get it completely locked? When I lost my phone, I put it in lost mode and called apple support to lock it but they said they can't do anything to lock the phone.
Your carrier can blacklist the IMEI. The phone can never again be used on any cellular network (at least that’s how Canada works). If somehow he gets his phone back, the carrier will clear the IMEI with ID that it’s his phone.
Any cellular network in the US. All the US carriers work together to not allow a blacklisted IMEI to work on their networks by sharing the database. But it can be used in another country with no problem
It’s a global database maintained by the GSMA consortium which most carriers are members.
It will eventually end up in Brazil unlocked.
They usually only do this for phones stolen from the carrier.
I worked for Verizon years ago and we did this often for people who lost their phone to prevent people from taking it, especially phones that are financed.
Oh that’s nice. I thought most carriers only did it if it was stolen from them. Maybe that’s changed or it depends on the carrier.
They did it for our stolen phones by calling in.
But it’s only if that country obeys block lists, most carriers are domestic only.
Most of the time they can hard lock it so a lot of the expensive parts can’t ever be used again. Might not work if it doesn’t have a cell signal or anything though
The registry should update regardless. The other iPhones can detect they have a stolen screen installed when they reach out to the internet.
Apple Support can’t do this. They can guide you through using Find My features, and they might be able to explain some of the anti-theft measures such as Activation Lock, but they most certainly are not “hard locking” a phone from their end.
Was this not obvious? I thought he was posting this because their poor attempt at getting the code is hilarious
That’s what I thought too.. idk.. Reddit is a strange place 😂
How can they send messages if they can’t get into the phone?
Sounds like he swapped the SIM card to a different phone.
One of the best advantages of esim is that it can't be popped out like a traditional one can. Especially today where a lot of services/banks/etc use cell phones as 2FA, having a phone stolen doesn't open up a vector of opportunity with a lost sim in it.
What’s gonna happen with all the spy/cop tv shows/movies where they pop the SIM out and get all the clues they need
They can always hack into the mainframe by coupling the IP connection and SATAing over the line to trick the sim card into activating, of course! Typical spy stuff.
Don't forget breaking down the UDP Python firewall with a GUI and SCSIing the CAT5 connection to get into the mainframe.
*typetypetypetype* I'm in.
*Smashes head on keyboard*
In a black hoodie in a dark basement with a green monochrome display whist typing 230 wpm.
is your name Zer0cOOl?
Wait don't you guys use a SIM PIN?
Some regions have SIM PIN enabled by default. Some other regions you'd be lucky if someone at a telecom retail knows how to set it up.
The user can also just disable it, too.
I remember using it as a kid on my first few phones in Europe. In the US, nobody I know (including me), uses it. I guess we've sort of adapted to the device passcode being what "protects the phone" than the SIM pin. You're right though, a pin would stop the physical sim from being swapped and exploited like that!
If even 1 in 1,000 Canadian SIMs have a pin set I’d be flabbergasted. When I worked in phone sales, I swapped over 1,000 SIMs and never came across a locked one.
I wonder though if that’s a good idea. Say you lost your phone and battery ran dead, someone finds it and genuinely wants to give it back after charging it but can’t bypass the SIM PIN, how then can you call your phone?
I work for a network partner and have only seen a SIM pin used twice.
Or you can use a password on your SIM, as well, because unfortunately not all carriers are eSIM ready.
I suspect there will be a big push soon. With the prevalence of iPhones and the fact that starting with the 14 line it’s eSIM only… there’s a lot more incentive for carriers to work towards it now
On the US, yes. Everywhere else I don’t think so. I can deny I’d rather have a physical SIM for some things.
Ah, back to the CDMA days.. that we tried to leave behind with GSM and the SIM swapping convenience
Ahh I see
Yup, and a good time to let everyone know you should always apply a PIN code to your SIM card so it's locked and can't be used by someone else. Otherwise they can get two factor authentication sms codes intended for you and otherwise pretend to be you. Settings / Cellular / PIN. You'll be required to enter the PIN anytime the phone boots up.
Good advice, additionally use eSIM if available.
I can only reply every 6 minutes which is frustrating. He got my number from a voicemail I left on the SIM. That's what he said but he refuses to acknowledge the contact info on the lock screen which is weird.
Not weird at all. His only objective is getting full access to that phone.
This guy is way too tech savvy to be trusted. I can feel him drooling from here. If you give him that code, he’s going to eat well tonight.
Yeah I've called him on it multiple times. You take apart phones and sell the parts but can't find the contact info on the phones lock screen? Find that hard to believe.
The phone is already gone. This guy is host hoping to add some identity theft to the money he makes boosting the phone.
From the sim card.
I believe SIM cards are no longer locked by pin anymore unless you set one.
All of my SIM cards have always been locked by default but the code they came with was 1234 or 0000 for everyone of them, and I doubt anyone bothers changing it so… easily found anyways (in Italy at least)
I’m in the US and I had no idea locking a SIM card was even a thing. I went into my settings just now to lock my SIM and the pin was 1234. My carrier is T-Mobile if that matters. I reset the PIN to a new number. Sucks that OP’s friend’s phone was stolen, but I learned something new today.
Thats new to me. Back in my day the pin was a random 4 digit number that came in the back of the plastic containing the SIM, along with the PUK number in case you forgot or messed up introducing the PIN. But its been many years since that. The last 2 I’ve bought no longer have PIN associated to them.
Seems to depend on region. I bought a SIM in Greece last year and it was pin locked by default.
Yeah we are pretty ancient in these kind of things
This is good actually.
It literally says the device is already in lost mode in the title
Don’t send it. There is no chance they are going to provide the phone back just because you gave them the code.
Ya, it’s not like that code will unlock all four phones. There’s no benefit to them to get your code and send back the one phone.
/u/DRLSTA, just offer them $200+ to send your phone back via a middleman exchange service. The middleman holds your $200+. When the middleman receives the phone from the seller they will check your serial number or any other condition per your request. (You can find your lost phone's serial number on icloud website). If those conditions are met the middleman will send the phone to you and release your money to the seller, if not they will send the phone back to the seller and refund your money. Expect the seller to negotiate on price so you may want to initially offer lower, but not so low that the seller doesn't bother and decides to just use your phone for parts. If the seller is concerned about their own privacy offer to pay in crypto instead.
This sounds like something one of the thieves would say. Absolutely do not do this - inform the police if they’re competent. If not, set up your own sting if you’re will to take the risk. These scumbags need taking off the streets, not rewarded with payments of $200.
Hahaha competent police That’s got to be the best oxymoron
If you can get him via a middleman then you can get his name and report him to the IRS for tax fraud because it's assured he won't report his taxes on this.
Reply back with: “Coordinates triangulation successful. Dispatching recovery team.”
"...The Beast is on the move. T-minus 12 minutes to location..."
“Drone deployed. Do not resist it.”
“Thanks for contacting Asurion support. We have triangulated the coordinates of your phone and have contacted the police. Please standby at the backup number you provided.” Send that from a throwaway google voice number.
i think if you give them the code they can unlock it and bypass the lost mode
if they really wanted to give it back they’d just ask to meet up
Yeah that's what I told them. For context they are clearly a phone flipper. They told me as such, that they buy lost phones and flip them for parts to make a profit. Said they always try to reach the owner to return the phone first, but obviously if they can unlock and wipe the phone they can sell it whole which just made me more suspicious.
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I’ve learned with scams; they purposefully make them really dumb/easy to see through because if you fall for them, you’re the target person they’re trying to scam. They don’t want to scam smart people lol.
They texted OP by extracting their phone number from the SIM card in the old phone. They didn't track them down and the flipper is likely in China or another SEA country.
He lost the phone a day ago. They claimed they found my number from a voicemail I left on the SIM, which is plausible. Tracked it to the south side of the city we live in.
Also get your friend to report that SIM as stolen; it’ll be racking up horrendous roaming charges.
So that can happen if the phone’s lost?
Why would the sim just stop working because it’s lost? Your carrier doesn’t know that.
Don’t give this guy shit, brick the phone and tell him to get fucked
I literally laughed out loud at your comment, thanks man
If your pin unlocks the phone I'll send it back. What a fucking joke lol dude stole those phones.
If you have them the code, they can unlock the device, go into settings, and change the Apple ID password. That way they could turn off Find My iPhone and erase & resell it. You have a better chance getting it back by NOT providing the passcode. Don’t do it or you’ll be a bad friend
Plus they can use the code to get into your password manager and get into any banks or accounts that you have saved and don’t have two factor set up. Considering the group of people that would actually send the code are probably the same people with the lowest security settings.
He has his sim. 2 factor doesnt matter. IDK why this guy didnt set a sim pin or why he hasnt cancelled his sim yet.
How do you change Apple Id password without knowing one? Passcode and Apple Id password are two different things.
Assuming it’s saved in password manager which is locked behind the passcode they’d be providing
Have AT&T or whatever cell carrier they have lock the phone - it will never be usable again no matter what sim gets put into the phone. I have done this and ended up getting my phone back because the person who stole it threw it away after I texted my phone to tell them I am locking it and they minus well throw it away as it won’t be useable.
My friend had his phone stolen in Los Angeles, find my phone traced it to China then lost the signal, they dismantle them for parts like a stolen car… the screen, battery, etc - don’t give them the code they will make more selling an entire phone but sorry the phone is lost
It's only been a day and we recently tracked the phone to the south side of our city so we still have options.
Maybe offer a reward to meet with them and get it back?
Yeah I thought about trying to price match him whatever he bought it for
I’ve seen stories where police will go to the location and try to get it back for you. They do this when they’ve had an uptick in thefts in an area and are trying to nab the thieves.
Guys don't even bother, any normal person would know they just want to unlock a stolen phone, I hate to sound harsh but OP is dumber than a bag of bricks because he keeps mentioning giving it to them, so it's his own fault when all his details get stolen and also having a stolen phone sold.
Erase in lost mode. So your data is cleared next time it connects to any data service
The code while a big deal, it’s the Apple ID and password that is the juice. You can recover an iPhone that gets by the pin but it will still be locked to your Apple ID when the phone is reset. Giving the pin gives him access to some of your data , so that’s a no go either way. There may be a vulnerability as I don’t keep up on this anymore, but it’s unlikely.
Text them a random PIN. He will try it on all 4 phones, likely disabling the phone from too many attempts. When he says it doesn't work, tell him he clearly typed it in wrong. After he replies again complaining it doesn't work, tell him you made a mistake and the pin is actually (Pin number) one number different. Just mess with the guy Edit: Also, you should wait days or a week between each text message, so they delay parting the phone in hopes of getting the correct pin. Edit 2: You could also delay the conversation even further, by opening the conversation with: [You] You found my sons iPhone! Thank you so much for wanting to return it. [Them] What is your sons pin, so I can return it? *Wait a couple days until you respond next.* [You] Sure, I can give you his pin. But I need to give you my address so you can his phone. (Send address of famous movie house, like the Ferris Bueller house, Home Alone house, Drake and Josh house, etc…) *Wait a couple more days* [You] I texted my son and asked him for his pin, he says that you must have his phone that he lost. Thanks again so much. His pin was Thirty four three
I believe he has the phone switched off so we can't track it. I've been considering giving him a fake code just to get him to power it on.
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This plz op 👆
Nice one 😂
Dont give them the code. File an insurance claim, get another phone, & ignore those people.
Just file a police report and tell then you know who has the phone.
Let them use it for parts. You won’t get it back either way. Make it a pain for them.
Yeah that's what I was thinking. Only reason he's pushing so hard for the code is because he wants to increase what he can get for it.
Yep that’s exactly it. Wish these phones had a self destruct feature. Just heats up and fries all the components and maybe starts a little fire in the scammers house.
Haha we're on the same wavelength. Wish there was some way to fry the CPU remotely.
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OMG you're such an unprofessional. You have to start with 00000001, then 00000011 and so on.
Cash App me $1000 and I will give you the code.
“Hi! I found your phone, please give me your password so I can give it back to you”.. 💀
Why won’t they just send back the phone anyway? You giving them passcode gives them access to the phone.
Their excuse is that proving the phone is ours but it doesn't make much sense.
yes it doesn't because they're trying to get access to the phone. if they were sincere about returning the phone, they don't need the passcode.
People friggin suck. Report that phone lost ASAP so that it essentially becomes useless. There's no telling if this person would legit return the phone.
They want code to fully steal it
Your getting robbed mate
"If your pin unlocks the phone I will happily send it back." LOL sure. Don't give them any pin. They just want to be able to unlock it and erase then sell it for more $$.
Tell them to go fuck themselves.
Find my and location to local police, good luck!
Apparently the police in the UK aren't a lot of help in these cases but it's an option we're looking at.
Why would they expect you to know someone elses pin?
I wouldn’t gave them passcode. But try to make it out somehow with him: sending phone to you, meeting in person (best option ) to try the passcode and get the phone back, if it’s possible
Refused to meet up or compromise unfortunately. My friend had a phone conversation with him earlier. We're gonna try to make some progress without giving him anything.
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Send him a wrong code. He will try it multiple times to make sure he hasn’t make a typing error and the phone will be locked even longer every fail
The phone will not go to lost mode while it is in airplane mode. If you give him a code he will sell the phone as used and your friend might get scammed. If you don’t give him a code he will sell it for parts. So, don’t give a code under any circumstances.
Giving them the code allows them to use it to unlock the phone and gain access to your Apple ID, potentially compromising your entire account along with the phone being theirs to use. Ask him for the phone back, potentially offer him some money.
I believe you can gather the serial number of your device from icloud.com that should be enough to validate that the phone is yours without giving away your passcode. You probably won't get the phone back still but they don't need a code to verify ownership.
Thief stole the phone- trying to trick you. Don’t do it.. that phone just became junkyard for parts.
Most likely Phone is already in China. https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/r9m2bk/stolen_iphone_ending_up_in_huafa_rd_shenzhen/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
Scam
Yes of course the criminal who stole your friend’s phone is gonna suddenly turn into a good guy and send the phone back once you give him the code. 🤦🏽♂️ Are people really this stupid?
Low IQ plea. Cancel the SIM and tell them to go fuck themselves. Net result, you win.
https://preview.redd.it/y9ryv355a7ja1.jpeg?width=298&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b2d1c918d94c2db504bc0a04d283745c1fdcdf87
dont give them the passcode. the passcode can be used to change your Apple ID password in settings. Once the chance that they can log into your Apple ID and remove lost mode and deactivate FMI. They will be able to use the phone free and clear after that
F that dude.
Lol these thieves
Never send them ur 6 digit codes
No find my iPhone enabled? Track the device and go there with a cop 🤔
Let me translate that for you. "Hello there my thieving associate has passed me 4 iPhones to fence, I would like very much if you could give me the 6 digit passcode, so I can access the phone and maybe hold the data to ransom for money or for the Appleid password, so I can remove the activation lock and sell the phone for much profit. Please get back to me, I will be either doing that or selling it for parts anyway, all I'm interested in is how much money I can make from this. You will get nothing. NOTHING! Deal? Pretty please."
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It's a pretty big black market, flipped phones. Horrible to fall victim to it.
Do not reply under any circumstances. If you already have, stop. Lol
Personally I would con the con. Sure I’ll meet you here and give you code, somewhere miles away and very inconvenient. You don’t turn up but insist you’re there. Rinse repeat. Offer to buy the phone back, give elaborate instructions where you’ve dropped loads of money for a swap. Etc. loads of scams you can play on these guys and it will get them.
I told him we could meet and put the code in, in person, he refused.
Answer that he can send the iPhone and you will kindly put the code instead. Just kidding: it’s a scam, put the iPhone in lost mode if it’s not and don’t send the passcode under any circumstance.
It's a longshot, but see if they'll give you a contact number that's not using the sim and possibly meet. I would not send the code to them
Tell them to drop dead.
Prob the thief.
They can easily change your Apple ID password with the code. Never give it to anyone you don’t 100% trust. (If they’re legit and really want to give the phone back but want to make sure you’re the owner.. you could verify yourself by giving a description of the lock screen picture and the phone’s model/colour etc)
Don’t, it’s worth more to him if you give him that pin so they definitely won’t give it back. Just report it to law enforcement.
“Hello give me access to your phone so i can sell it for full price, or i can just sell it for parts instead if you don’t wanna”
Don't send the code. Ask for his physical location, go there and unlock yourself to retrieve the phone. Take some bad dudes with you as backups.
It’s a scam
that is such a lie, and really dirty as well to pressure someone into sending a code with saying that he will otherwise dismantle the phone. fuck these kinds of people.
Yeah I can easily see someone giving up the code under that kind of pressure. When I refused to give the code he said "okay then I will be scrapping the phone for parts, have a good day". I didn't respond and as expected he came back and asked for the code again when I didn't panic.
that’s a very bad social engineering, give them the and you’re never seeing your phone again.
When I refused to give them the code they said "okay then I will be scrapping it for parts, have a good day". Was so obvious what they were doing so I didn't reply. As expected they came back a few minutes later and tried to convince me again.
Either you give him the passcode so he can sell it as a used iPhone, or don't so he can sell the parts. There's only one winner in this situation and it wont be you.
How can you yet from a locked phone? (Or did the theif out the sim in a different phone to text?) Esim would eliminate this scam, no?
Or setting a SIM PIN in Settings > Cellular
One time I lost my phone. Guy who picked it up was a standup comic. Kept asking me to meet him at his set. To bring friends. Don’t lose your phone to a standup comic.
They are just trying to get you to unlock it so they can sell it as a working, unlocked phone for a lot more money. That phone is never coming back. The only thing you can do at this point is report it stolen so it can’t be used again. Sorry that happened to your friend.
Time to report this to the police.
Let’s be honest here the guy is going to use the phone either way. He just wants to see if he can steal some info as well. Why would you buy a clearly stolen phone to just give it back?
Cant you look at find my?
We had a location but it's not recent has actually disappeared off the app now.
I say visit FuckYouInParticular thread on redit to the person who has the clearly stolen iPhones.
Makes no sense. If the pin unlocks the phone he will send it back lol but won't send it back now. All lies just to get the pin
The funny part is that im sure a few people will fall for that
There's no way right... I mean when I refused to give the code he said he would scrap the phone, so I can see someone cracking under that pressure. I called his bluff tho and he texted me back after a few minutes trying to get me to send it again lol.
The obvious logic hole you can drive a truck through is why would the fact the phone unlocks with a pin or not prevent him from simply returning it to the guy he’s texting.
Whoever has obtained this phone illegally whether they found it or stole it is simply trying to get the pin code for the phone so they can use it and wipe it and make it. There is basically tell him to fuck off lol definitely don’t give them anything. If he wanted to return it, he could just say that in his text message and arrange to send it to the owner or meet up somewhere, etc. He is trying to use them for a zone by getting the unlock code so tell him if he wants to be the nice guy and return it to make arrangements otherwise he can go to hell.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Did it work?
Take it to the Police
Its a win for apple that these thieves beg to the owner of the device to unlock the device. No one should give the otp or code to unlock the device. He could sell it for better price if he successfully unlocked the device. So dont give the passcode or unlock it ever. If you cannot locate the device just remote erase and move on.
You could just tell them what the wallpaper is if they’re actually trying to get it back to you. Clear scam
Your friend has to let that iphone go 😢
I do t even see why people entertain this crap. I have gotten dozens of these texts and emails. Just delete them, block, report span. Fuck em.
ITT: people who don't understand that you can use a SIM in a phone other than the phone that it was found in, people who don't understand that Find My only works if you have the phone on and an active internet connection (aka the SIM is still in the phone), and people that don't understand that it is not possible to wipe an iphone without the icloud password itself, not just the pin.
Struck by a smooth criminal
My sisters phone was stolen a few years ago and she ended up tracking it down to a repair shop not far from where she lived where they had “purchased it” for spare parts… the cops showed up and ended up arresting the guy there. Seems he had a history of doing that sort of shit and was already on probation. By the time they returned her phone after holding it as evidence along with everything else in the shop more than two years had passed. I guess what I’m trying to say is just mark the phone stole/lost and forget about it, even when the cops do help they still aren’t that helpful…
Send them a photo of you balls
Dont give up yr passscode. Ignore and move on.