Stolen iPhone 7+

[bjb.butler]

Interesting story (so I've been told by others) about what happened to us last year. Bought our son a new 64GB 6S+ for Christmas and it was stolen from school a month later. Had some kids say they saw a certain kid with it, we offered a reward for its return, etc but nothing happened to really pin it on the accused kid. Find My iPhone immediately showed it as offline so I locked it thru Find My iPhone. We got the police involved and called AT&T to block the phone. Was not happy but just had to live with it. Gave my son my iPhone 6 and I went back to an old iPhone 5.

Couple of weeks later I was using Find My iPhone and noticed a device named "Owens Family's iPhone". Clicked on it and it showed offline but its last location in a city about an hour away at an apartment complex. From my understanding of what happened there was a court order for the apartment complex asking if there is an Owens family at that complex. They said yes and turned over the appt # so then a search warrant was issued for that apartment. Cops went to the appt and a kid admitted to having the phone but said he gave it back to the kid who gave it to him. When asked who that kid was he named the same kid who was originally accused of taking it. A search of the appt did not find the phone.

So, the 17yr old kid (originally accused) was charged and we went to court a few months ago. He/his mom/attorney agreed to accept responsibility without a trial and pay for the phone ($850 + tax). Their deadline to pay passed and the judge granted them another 2 months. The last deadline was Sept 14 and they have not paid ALL of the money and I don't know how much they've paid. Judge says the kid is being arrested during court appearance next month and will stay in jail until the phone has been paid. We will see. Bought our son a new 128GB iPhone 7 on release day and I got my 6 back.

Still not sure how they got into the phone, changed the name, etc but It's still tied to my son's Apple ID in Find My iPhone.

Doesn't sound like an interesting story to me. Court dates and teenagers ending up in jail? Why not just get insurance so when your son loses his phone again, you just pay the deductible and get another one. All that seems extreme for an iPhone

 

[aka777]

Interesting story (so I've been told by others) about what happened to us last year. Bought our son a new 64GB 6S+ for Christmas and it was stolen from school a month later. Had some kids say they saw a certain kid with it, we offered a reward for its return, etc but nothing happened to really pin it on the accused kid. Find My iPhone immediately showed it as offline so I locked it thru Find My iPhone. We got the police involved and called AT&T to block the phone. Was not happy but just had to live with it. Gave my son my iPhone 6 and I went back to an old iPhone 5.

Couple of weeks later I was using Find My iPhone and noticed a device named "Owens Family's iPhone". Clicked on it and it showed offline but its last location in a city about an hour away at an apartment complex. From my understanding of what happened there was a court order for the apartment complex asking if there is an Owens family at that complex. They said yes and turned over the appt # so then a search warrant was issued for that apartment. Cops went to the appt and a kid admitted to having the phone but said he gave it back to the kid who gave it to him. When asked who that kid was he named the same kid who was originally accused of taking it. A search of the appt did not find the phone.

So, the 17yr old kid (originally accused) was charged and we went to court a few months ago. He/his mom/attorney agreed to accept responsibility without a trial and pay for the phone ($850 + tax). Their deadline to pay passed and the judge granted them another 2 months. The last deadline was Sept 14 and they have not paid ALL of the money and I don't know how much they've paid. Judge says the kid is being arrested during court appearance next month and will stay in jail until the phone has been paid. We will see. Bought our son a new 128GB iPhone 7 on release day and I got my 6 back.

Still not sure how they got into the phone, changed the name, etc but It's still tied to my son's Apple ID in Find My iPhone.

At the price point of these phones, such theft is basically a felony too.
[doublepost=1475200039][/doublepost]

Nice long post with many unrelated and useless info just like earlier
So in other words you're claiming that if I blacklist a stolen iPhone with AT&T for example the imei is blacklisted internationally and I cannot use that phone with any other carrier anywhere correct?
That's what you're claiming?

If the phone has been apple locked, it's practically useless anyway. Not to mention, they'd have to get around carrier locks. Which we know American carriers love hahahaha.

 

[Applejuiced]

At the price point of these phones, such theft is basically a felony too.
[doublepost=1475200039][/doublepost]

If the phone has been apple locked, it's practically useless anyway.

Correct.
iCloud locked is way more effective than imei blacklisting.

 

[aka777]

Correct.
iCloud locked is way more effective than imei blacklisting.

Yep. This combined with a carrier sim lock pretty makes the phone practically useless. I am not too sure if you can jailbreak it though..

 

[alphacen]

Doesn't sound like an interesting story to me. Court dates and teenagers ending up in jail? Why not just get insurance so when your son loses his phone again, you just pay the deductible and get another one. All that seems extreme for an iPhone

I applaud their commitment to making the criminal pay, one way or another. Just writing it off, like insurance fraud, is what's wrong with our country... no accountability.

 

[eagleglen]

Doesn't sound like an interesting story to me. Court dates and teenagers ending up in jail? Why not just get insurance so when your son loses his phone again, you just pay the deductible and get another one. All that seems extreme for an iPhone

It was an interesting story and it was satisfying to hear justice get served, regardless of how long or how much effort it takes. Insurance would be practical, particularly with a minor using such a premium device, and will help mitigate the loss should something similar happen again. But even with insurance coverage, pursuing and prosecuting the thief is commendable. Wish more stories of iPhone theft concluded the same way.

 

[YaBoiD]

I've always wondered why Apple doesn't add a simple feature to wait her require Touch ID or the users password in order to fully power down the device. Their omission of that feature makes it hard to track the phone to actually recover it. Yes you can still wipe it but you're still out $800+.

 

[moxxham]

I wish Apple would have a setting to put in your password or Touch ID to turn the phone off, and the ability to exclude airplane mode and wifi from control centre on the lock screen. Control centre is so useful on the lock screen, so greying out a few options would be handy for extra security, but still allowing me to access my torch and music.

 

[hellopupy]

If he bought it with an Amex platinum, he may be able to claim it.

 

[Floydpink]

What part of imei blacklisting is not international don't you understand?
You're Just like a typical wireless phone rep, I'm better off talking to a wall

The part about IMEI blacklist not being international is correct, the phone rep part is up for debate.

Activating a stolen iPhone in a 3rd world country is easier than getting a bottle of drinkable water.

In Rio, this summer, cel phones were a big target for street thieves and the phones were resold within hours in many cases.

I have witnessed this first hand in Central and South America regardless of what your carrier tells you

 

[akash.nu]

Excellent point. And interestingly enough you mention eBay selling your iPhone. I used to sell all my iPhones on EBay and Fortunately I have not been frauded as you have, but EBay has become a cesspool for fraud. I only
Sell on Craigslist now for reasons as yours.

But in the end game, you win, being the iPhone cannot be activated. Awesome Ending to your story. Well done.

This IMEI block only works within the country.

 

[Spink10]

Are people really that clueless nowadays ?!? You can't do anything w/ a stolen iPhone besides make the owner distraught

Unfortunately there is still value in a iCloud locked iPhone - on CL and eBay.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

If he bought it with an Amex platinum, he may be able to claim it.

He may be able to file a claim to get reimbursed the tax and first month payment, as they'd only be able to reimburse him the amount charged to the card. Not much of a reimbursement but better than nothing.

 

[44267547]

This IMEI block only works within the country.

No. Its also based on the GSM variant. It's worked before. But there are exceptions.

 

[TxExCxH]

He turned lost mode on, as well as notify when turned on. He got on the phone with Apple and they suggested to set the "erase when turned on" option. When checking Find My iPhone it now says "erased at 1:48pm" so someone obviously turned it on. If it's erased is it gone forever?

I know it's after the fact, but that's why i get insurance thru the carrier instead of Applecare. The carrier's insurance covers theft. I learned this lesson the hard way when my 4s got stolen a week after i got it. I had Applecare but it didn't cover lost or stolen so i had to pay for a phone i wasn't using.

 

[DougFNJ]

There are a lot of posts here, so sorry if I'm repeating if someone suggested this. Call your credit card company to see if they would cover the theft, many do.

 

[HickDead]

This world is full of ******s. Karma will get that beeatch who stole your brother's iPhone sooner than later. Sucks that it happened. Unfortunately your brother is going to take the "L" but should be more careful with his personal belongings next time.

 

[Villious]

Doesn't sound like an interesting story to me. Court dates and teenagers ending up in jail? Why not just get insurance so when your son loses his phone again, you just pay the deductible and get another one. All that seems extreme for an iPhone[/QUOTE

That's right. Let's not make the kid be accountable for committing a felony. Wow.

 

[aka777]

For one, how many forum members on here actually have the knowledge to report the IMEI number to their carrier when the iPhone is stolen? Yeah, Not many.

I worked for a carrier for for ten years and maybe a few at the most knew how to handle the situation and when the IMEI number is blacklisted, it does pursue outside US carriers in some respects, it also depended on the GSM variant. The cases I handled were actually successful in bricking the iPhone. You can debate all you want, but you don't know that iPhone is or is not active. Point is the OP handled it effectively from the start, as I stated from my first post.

I've been reading your posts and I don't think you are 100% correct. It was only recently that American carriers started to block IMEIs across carrier. Unless the US carrier alliance has setup some sort of treaty with the European Union and other developed countries, there isn't any way to block these globally.

A persons best bet is that the handset is carrier lock and also icloud locked. In Which case, it's almost locked on a bootloader / firmware level. Androids are a different story, because you can actually modify the IMEI on these handsets.

 

[44267547]

I've been reading your posts and I don't think you are 100% correct. It was only recently that American carriers started to block IMEIs across carrier. Unless the US carrier alliance has setup some sort of treaty with the European Union and other developed countries, there isn't any way to block these globally.

A persons best bet is that the handset is carrier lock and also icloud locked. In Which case, it's almost locked on a bootloader / firmware level. Androids are a different story, because you can actually modify the IMEI on these handsets.

I had a fraud case I was investigating for a major carrier back in July. The customer Stated she had her iPhone stolen over seas in Bulgaria. Being its international fraud, I entered her IMEI number with in 24 hours as Stolen, being its law. During that time Frame, our carrier service was alerted the iPhone was flagged in for being 'Attempted to activate', naturally our Fraud department followed up on the complaint, and sure enough, it was the victims iPhone pinged when the Sim was programmed. Upon contacting whatever service the iPhone was in use of at the time, 'An attempt to locate' feature was commenced by the suspects carrier, locking the iPhone when it was alerted it was stolen, ultimately bricking the device.

Moral is, the victim lost her iPhone, but the criminal did not gain an iPhone either. So it is possible. It's based on global GSM variants and the cooperation from the carrier. Yes, there are exceptions to this. It's not always successful.

 

[off_piste]

I've been reading your posts and I don't think you are 100% correct. It was only recently that American carriers started to block IMEIs across carrier. Unless the US carrier alliance has setup some sort of treaty with the European Union and other developed countries, there isn't any way to block these globally.

A persons best bet is that the handset is carrier lock and also icloud locked. In Which case, it's almost locked on a bootloader / firmware level. Androids are a different story, because you can actually modify the IMEI on these handsets.

GSMA provides both whitelist and blacklist services.

"Mobile Network Operators
The IMEI DB offers GSM & 3GPP network operators two types of access: full DB download and sychronization with the whitelist open exchange of device IMEIs identified as lost or stolen via the blacklist

Operators are encouraged to participate in both “whitelist” and “blacklist” use of the database."
http://www.gsma.com/managedservices...he-imei-database/accessing-the-imei-database/




Here's a list of members in the GSMA. Seems like there's a pretty good chance the blacklisting would work based on a fairly comprehensive membership.

http://www.gsma.com/membership/who-are-our-gsma-members/full-membership/

 

[44267547]

Correct.
iCloud locked is way more effective than imei blacklisting.

Quoted from @off_piste


GSMA provides both whitelist and blacklist services.

"Mobile Network Operators
The IMEI DB offers GSM & 3GPP network operators two types of access: full DB download and sychronization with the whitelist open exchange of device IMEIs identified as lost or stolen via the blacklist

Operators are encouraged to participate in both “whitelist” and “blacklist” use of the database."
http://www.gsma.com/managedservices...he-imei-database/accessing-the-imei-database/




Here's a list of members in the GSMA. Seems like there's a pretty good chance the blacklisting would work based on a fairly comprehensive membership.

http://www.gsma.com/membership/who-are-our-gsma-members/full-membership/

 

[Applejuiced]

This IMEI block only works within the country.

Exactly.
There's many people and businesses that buy imei blocked devices from the US and sell them to be used in Europe, South America, Asia etc.
They obviously function fine.
There's also services online that will swap imei blacklisted devices. So a blacklisted iPhone from Europe will be traded for a blacklisted iPhone from the US.
The user above likes to argue and claim he knows things from his phone rep job but is just posting nonsense
[doublepost=1475243868][/doublepost]

I had a fraud case I was investigating for a major carrier back in July. The customer Stated she had her iPhone stolen over seas in Bulgaria. Being its international fraud, I entered her IMEI number with in 24 hours as Stolen, being its law. During that time Frame, our carrier service was alerted the iPhone was flagged in for being 'Attempted to activate', naturally our Fraud department followed up on the complaint, and sure enough, it was the victims iPhone pinged when the Sim was programmed. Upon contacting whatever service the iPhone was in use of at the time, 'An attempt to locate' feature was commenced by the suspects carrier, locking the iPhone when it was alerted it was stolen, ultimately bricking the device.

Moral is, the victim lost her iPhone, but the criminal did not gain an iPhone either. So it is possible. It's based on global GSM variants and the cooperation from the carrier. Yes, there are exceptions to this. It's not always successful.

Lmao.
you locked the stolen iPhone and you ultimately bricked it too? And after that there was a message on the iPhone screen this device will self destruct in 5 seconds and it blew up in 100 pieces.
Wow, what an imagination.

 

[DetTigers]

All this IMEI blacklisting talk is nonsense. If the phone is locked with a password it will not be able to be activated on ANY carrier in the world EVER.

The FBI couldn't even break into the San Bernardino terrorist's phone for Christ's sake.

 

[akash.nu]

All this IMEI blacklisting talk is nonsense. If the phone is locked with a password it will not be able to be activated on ANY carrier in the world EVER.

The FBI couldn't even break into the San Bernardino terrorist's phone for Christ's sake.

This is more of a valid statement than the blocking of IMEI stuff. Although unlocking without removing any existing data on the device and unlocking by removing all data on it are 2 different matters. I'm sure the microprocessor on the iPhone can be reset but that will probably erase all the previous data from it.

The IMEI block only works within the same country and that to only if the carriers cooperate with each other by sharing such info, which often is the case as it makes life easier to lure customers over and port their numbers, but outside of a specific country it's not valid at all.