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Found a Verizon iPhone 4S. Can I use it?

K

KidFresh

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 11, 2009
102
0
NYC
Found a Verizon 4S on the ground. Waited about five minutes to see if anyone was coming back for it. No incoming calls. Phone was remote-wiped fifteen minutes later.

My AT&T sim card won't work in it. I did an ESN check on two websites and they both say it's clean. Not sure if this will change in a few days. What are my options with this VZW 4S iOS 6.1.3? I'm currently using an off-contract, unlocked AT&T 4 awaiting a "5S".
 
YOU FOUND IT? THEN KEEP IT ! What you do is restore it. It gives you the option to keep the phone the same including the number or make it new.

So you click NEW PHONE. It deletes everything that was on the phone, & then just put your stuff in. Then go to at&t or whatever your phone service is and switch your number from your old phone to the iPhone. And that's it. It will be yours !!!
 
ceva321 said:
YOU FOUND IT? THEN KEEP IT ! What you do is restore it. It gives you the option to keep the phone the same including the number or make it new.

So you click NEW PHONE. It deletes everything that was on the phone, & then just put your stuff in. Then go to at&t or whatever your phone service is and switch your number from your old phone to the iPhone. And that's it. It will be yours !!!
Click to expand...

It has been remote-wiped which sets everything back into factory defaults. I mentioned that I've already tried it with an AT&T sim card. AFAIK, it is locked to VZW.
 
You lose your iphone, wouldn't you want someone to turn it in ? They paid good money for it. Those that say sell it on Ebay or keep it, are in my opinion "Dirt" :mad:
 
KidFresh said:
It has been remote-wiped which sets everything back into factory defaults. I mentioned that I've already tried it with an AT&T sim card. AFAIK, it is locked to VZW.
Click to expand...

Glad to see you put in so much effort into doing the right thing.
 
ceva321 said:
YOU FOUND IT? THEN KEEP IT ! What you do is restore it. It gives you the option to keep the phone the same including the number or make it new.
So you click NEW PHONE. It deletes everything that was on the phone, & then just put your stuff in. Then go to at&t or whatever your phone service is and switch your number from your old phone to the iPhone. And that's it. It will be yours !!!
Click to expand...

Hope you never lose anything and expect a kind hearted person to return your goods. You and those like you are exactly what's wrong with the world.

KidFresh said:
It has been remote-wiped which sets everything back into factory defaults. I mentioned that I've already tried it with an AT&T sim card. AFAIK, it is locked to VZW.
Click to expand...
Doesn't matter, VRZ can figure out who the owner is and return their phone.

AbyssImpact said:
Sell it on eBay or Craigslist for $250-$300.
Click to expand...
Selling stolen goods is a big no no in most people's world. Guess you and the OP live in some kind of bizarro world where people can buy and sell any one else's goods as you please.

3rd Rock said:
You lose your iphone, wouldn't you want someone to turn it in ? They paid good money for it. Those that say sell it on Ebay or keep it, are in my opinion "Dirt" :mad:
Click to expand...

Nahhh lower than dirt.
 
I would return it. In case the owner files a police report with the IMEI number and you get caught when you slipped in your SIM card even though you managed to unlock it. "Finders keepers" is a sure way to mess up your integrity. Have a great week ahead!
 
Honestly, everyone is going to have a different opinion on what you should do with it. Ultimately it is your decision. I'm not going to say you'll be a saint if you return it and I'm not saying you'll be damned if you don't. Honestly, you have a justification with either path you decide to take.

:cool:
 
If the owner is smart, he's going to report the loss to Verizon, who is going to mark the ESN of this phone as bad.

This means that phone can never be used on Verizon's network again, which you need to think about if you're going to try and sell this to someone else.
 
To actually answer te OP question and not sit here judging hisbornher actions...

Te phone will never work on AT&T no matter what you do, so forget attempting that route.

If you want it two rom on Verizon, simply call them up and give them the ESN. They may require a sim car be in the phone which they can ma you or you can pick up at the brick and mortar store. So long as the original owner doesn't report it stolen (they had the foresight to wipe it immediately so I would assume they will report it) you can use it like any other iPhone on Verizon.
 
lordofthereef said:
To actually answer te OP question and not sit here judging hisbornher actions...

Te phone will never work on AT&T no matter what you do, so forget attempting that route.

If you want it two rom on Verizon, simply call them up and give them the ESN. They may require a sim car be in the phone which they can ma you or you can pick up at the brick and mortar store. So long as the original owner doesn't report it stolen (they had the foresight to wipe it immediately so I would assume they will report it) you can use it like any other iPhone on Verizon.
Click to expand...

Not very good advice at all. Verizon already knows who owns it, whether it's reported stolen or not. But I do hope this character does try your suggestion so Verizon gets his name, address, etc, so when the real owner reports it lost or stolen, Verizon knows who has it. Then so will the law.
 
darster said:
Not very good advice at all. Verizon already knows who owns it, whether it's reported stolen or not. But I do hope this character does try your suggestion so Verizon gets his name, address, etc, so when the real owner reports it lost or stolen, Verizon knows who has it. Then so will the law.
Click to expand...

First, this isn't advice. He didn't ASK for advice (although everyone seems to want to give it). What was asked is what his options were to use the phone and I actually answered the question. I a not advising him to do anything. WHat I am doing is stating the truth; this phone can be activated on another account with a simple phone call unless it has been blacklisted.

I just get tired of people on this forum thinking they need to be a person's moral compass. This entire thread is people regurgitating "return it or you will burn in hellfire". Great. I told the OP another viable option. Let him decide. And no. He likely won't be having cops knocking on his door because he activated a phone he found. But if he does, he can just explain he found it, hand it over, problem solved. But chances of this happening are so ridiculously slim, it's almost not even worth mentioning. People here hear of a story or two where police help track down a stolen/lost phone and think it's the norm. Most police stations won't go any farther than taking a simple report. WHy? It's not worth their time. And that's a fact.
 
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