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taptic

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Dec 5, 2012
1,341
437
California
Hi,

A friend of mine said he found an iPhone 5s, but that it said it was locked and to call a number. The number wasn't any good. What should he do?
 

Russiaone

macrumors 6502
Jun 7, 2010
430
159
Where did he find it? If it was an actual place go back there and see what happens?

I would say bring it to the police, but most of them are scum, so that's not really an option.
 

taptic

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Dec 5, 2012
1,341
437
California
Where did he find it? If it was an actual place go back there and see what happens?

I would say bring it to the police, but most of them are scum, so that's not really an option.

He didn't say, I'll ask him later. He said it had a broken screen as well, so I'm guessing it fell unnoticed or something...

He's basically wondering:

a. Is there some other way to contact the original owner and

b. if not, is it OK to sell it on eBay
 

ionjohn

macrumors 65816
Jun 5, 2013
1,185
10
Canada
He didn't say, I'll ask him later. He said it had a broken screen as well, so I'm guessing it fell unnoticed or something...

He's basically wondering:

a. Is there some other way to contact the original owner and

b. if not, is it OK to sell it on eBay

If you sell it on ebay, you'll never get the money since the buyer is going to fill a appeal 'cause the iphone is locked (thanks to iOS 7).
 

KiwiAdventure

Suspended
Dec 7, 2010
607
304
New Zealand
Are you for real and don't know what to do when you find an item that may have been stolen or lost. Is the young getting to the stage when they should never leave home.

Hand the iPhone into the Police.
 

taptic

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Dec 5, 2012
1,341
437
California
Are you for real and don't know what to do when you find an item that may have been stolen or lost. Is the young getting to the stage when they should never leave home.

Hand the iPhone into the Police.

The question there is: IS IT ILLEGAL, OR JUST NOT COOL TO SELL IT FOR PARTS?

I've already recommended that he give it to the police, but I know he's basically wondering that ^.
 

Defender2010

Cancelled
Jun 6, 2010
3,131
1,097
The question there is: IS IT ILLEGAL, OR JUST NOT COOL TO SELL IT FOR PARTS?

I've already recommended that he give it to the police, but I know he's basically wondering that ^.

"not cool" ?? Wow, you have no idea the damage you are doing to Californians reputation! Keep trying the number to call or go put it back where it was found/give it to the police.
Are you...(oh, sorry) Is your friend so hard up they need to sell somebody else's phone for parts on eBay, especially with a busted screen? :(
 

I7guy

macrumors Nehalem
Nov 30, 2013
34,087
23,741
Gotta be in it to win it
He didn't say, I'll ask him later. He said it had a broken screen as well, so I'm guessing it fell unnoticed or something...

He's basically wondering:

a. Is there some other way to contact the original owner and

b. if not, is it OK to sell it on eBay

I would think technically it would be against eBay t and c. But since you are asking the question it seems you have a rectal cranium inversion.

I don't understand why it's so hard to do the right thing.
 

ABC5S

Suspended
Sep 10, 2013
3,395
1,646
Florida
Are you for real and don't know what to do when you find an item that may have been stolen or lost. Is the young getting to the stage when they should never leave home.

Hand the iPhone into the Police.

"not cool" ?? Wow, you have no idea the damage you are doing to Californians reputation! Keep trying the number to call or go put it back where it was found/give it to the police.
Are you...(oh, sorry) Is your friend so hard up they need to sell somebody else's phone for parts on eBay, especially with a busted screen? :(

Agree 100% above. Goodness OP, do the right thing and stop looking for a way to keep it.
 

uiop.

macrumors 68020
Jul 22, 2008
2,045
88
Grand Rapids, MI
To be honest, not sure what good taking it to the police station is going to do. They have better things to do (or at least I hope) than try to reunite a long lost iPhone to its owner and likely will sit in a locked cabinet for months.
 

Consultant

macrumors G5
Jun 27, 2007
13,314
34
Hi,

A friend of mine said he found an iPhone 5s, but that it said it was locked and to call a number. The number wasn't any good. What should he do?

I doubt that "The number wasn't any good"

Leave a message on the voice mail with your contact info.
 

taptic

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Dec 5, 2012
1,341
437
California
"not cool" ?? Wow, you have no idea the damage you are doing to Californians reputation! Keep trying the number to call or go put it back where it was found/give it to the police.
Are you...(oh, sorry) Is your friend so hard up they need to sell somebody else's phone for parts on eBay, especially with a busted screen? :(

Well, that was a bit harsh for these forums... more like the thing I'd expect to see on Apple's support communities... hated those.

Anyway. First off, I see I must defend the point that it is my friend and not myself. I repair broken iDevices and you can see from many of my posts, especially my first ones, where I ask stupid questions about the basics of it. By now, I've gotten to the point where I can do it pretty well and I have gained a small reputation among my friends and anyone else that knows me and feels like being my friend for a little while. Anyway, I guess from what he's heard me say about ridiculous selling prices and all that, he feels like he could get some good money off it, which is true. Personally I don't think he should until he talks to the police... but he'll probably end up doing whatever he wants to.

I doubt that "The number wasn't any good"

Leave a message on the voice mail with your contact info.

That's all he said, but I will ask him for the number and try it myself.

California's reputation was in the toilet long before this. This is just another piece of you know what floating in the bowl.

True. California has never really had much of a reputation to damage. Around where I am most of them just smoke pot...
 

rc135tx

macrumors member
Feb 15, 2010
37
3
Hi,

A friend of mine said he found an iPhone 5s, but that it said it was locked and to call a number. The number wasn't any good. What should he do?

I think that if your friend turns it in to the police, most places have a law/policy that if the item can't be returned to the rightful owner in a certain amount of time, it will be given back to the person who turned it in. He might want to check on that.
 

taptic

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Dec 5, 2012
1,341
437
California
I think that if your friend turns it in to the police, most places have a law/policy that if the item can't be returned to the rightful owner in a certain amount of time, it will be given back to the person who turned it in. He might want to check on that.

Thank you! Leave it to the "newbie" user to answer the question...
 

deeddawg

macrumors G5
Jun 14, 2010
12,223
6,351
US
Some other thoughts if they is truly interested in reuniting the phone with its owner...

Where was it found? Do they have a lost/found that the owner might have checked with? A bulletin board to put up a "found phone" poster (say the number displayed doesn't work and to ring the phone)?

Does Siri work on the phone? Can it be used to try calling someone who might know the owner? "Call Home" or "Call Mom" or "Call Dad" or try calling any variety of common names to see if you get a hit.

Has the phone truly not received ANY text messages from anyone at all? Sure maybe they're disabled from showing on the lock screen, but if not that's an easy call -- "hey you just texted to a phone I found, tell them I have their phone please"

Power it up and leave it on a charger to see if any new Lost messages show up; also lets it be found on FindMyiPhone

Lots of possibilities for someone truly interested in getting the phone back to its owner.
 

taptic

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Dec 5, 2012
1,341
437
California
Some other thoughts if they is truly interested in reuniting the phone with its owner...

Where was it found? Do they have a lost/found that the owner might have checked with? A bulletin board to put up a "found phone" poster (say the number displayed doesn't work and to ring the phone)?

Does Siri work on the phone? Can it be used to try calling someone who might know the owner? "Call Home" or "Call Mom" or "Call Dad" or try calling any variety of common names to see if you get a hit.

Has the phone truly not received ANY text messages from anyone at all? Sure maybe they're disabled from showing on the lock screen, but if not that's an easy call -- "hey you just texted to a phone I found, tell them I have their phone please"

Power it up and leave it on a charger to see if any new Lost messages show up; also lets it be found on FindMyiPhone

Lots of possibilities for someone truly interested in getting the phone back to its owner.

Thank you! I'll tell him to try those.
 

acfusion29

macrumors 68040
Nov 8, 2007
3,128
1
Toronto
Are you for real and don't know what to do when you find an item that may have been stolen or lost. Is the young getting to the stage when they should never leave home.

Hand the iPhone into the Police.

the old should get into the stage of knowing the police WON'T DO ANYTHING

old people = know it alls
 

deeddawg

macrumors G5
Jun 14, 2010
12,223
6,351
US
the old should get into the stage of knowing the police WON'T DO ANYTHING

Small chance >> zero chance.
I've seen it happen. Probability of anything coming of it depends on the jurisdiction, but ridiculing the suggestion just shows a myopic world view.


old people = know it alls

Ah, the arrogance of youth. LOL.
 

mr99

macrumors 6502a
Jan 8, 2014
531
52
Try to find the owner. If you try and can't find the owner, sell on eBay.
 

Appl3FTW

macrumors 603
Nov 15, 2012
5,552
1,252
unfortunately someone out there has lost his 5S and it sucks. OP see if u can come back to the spot and i know time has lapsed now but see how it plays out. u can't use it anyways if its io7 locked.
 

acfusion29

macrumors 68040
Nov 8, 2007
3,128
1
Toronto
Small chance >> zero chance.
I've seen it happen. Probability of anything coming of it depends on the jurisdiction, but ridiculing the suggestion just shows a myopic world view.




Ah, the arrogance of youth. LOL.

police have better things to do. people call police for the stupidest crap, and this is one of them. they aren't going to go hunting for a person who lost an iPhone. sorry, but this is the reality.

i'm not even that young, but you are more arrogant than i am.
 

taptic

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Dec 5, 2012
1,341
437
California
police have better things to do. people call police for the stupidest crap, and this is one of them. they aren't going to go hunting for a person who lost an iPhone. sorry, but this is the reality.

i'm not even that young, but you are more arrogant than i am.

No, but they can hold it in case someone comes looking... that's sort of how a lost and found works and people seem to like those.
 

deeddawg

macrumors G5
Jun 14, 2010
12,223
6,351
US
No, but they can hold it in case someone comes looking...

Bingo. Stolen & lost property databases, which acfusion29 doesn't seem to comprehend. Turn in the phone, serial#/IMEI goes into database. Maybe person who lost it goes to police, maybe they find the info in the database. Like I said, not a big chance, but any chance is significantly greater than none.

police [...] aren't going to go hunting for a person who lost an iPhone. sorry, but this is the reality.

Never said they would go looking. See above; they'd just hold onto it and enter identifying info into a database in case the person who lost it should file a report -- which they'd have to if they were make an insurance claim. Not a big chance of it finding its way home, but some chance. Happens every day; especially with stolen property.

Try not to act the first part of assume so much and you might learn something...
 
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