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Sounds like time for another Class Action Lawsuit against Apple. Count me in!

HaHa-I was waiting for it :)

I potentially see real grounds for it at some point if Apple doesn't make this right quickly. If this is more widespread than currently realized and there is a legitimate "hack"/theft of SN/IMEI/personal information/other at play that resulted in this being possible, then someone with the resources would have a case in theory. I have ZERO legal background or a family-attorney to consult on this. I'm not quite there mentally at this point to consider something that extreme. If my primary phone was the one that was bricked I would probably be singing a different tune :p
 
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I am not one to sue unless the rare instance calls for it, such as the potential breach this may be. It is bad enough we have to wait days in some cases with proof of purchase, but now that many, many folks' ids have been possibly compromised there is no excuse for Apple to remain silent and worse not initiate safe guards against this. With all their talk of privacy and protection, they need to put their earnings where their marketing mouths are.

I truly hope this is resolved quickly and everyone's phones and iPads are theirs again; along with their info.
 
Same thing here. Got a 7 Plus and was prepping my 6s Plus for sale when I noticed the activation lock. Went to Apple with original receipt, box and drivers license and they unlocked it. I shipped it to Gazelle and it was locked AGAIN! My $325 offer was changed to $75.

They are sending it back but how am I going to ever sell this phone to anyone but Apple when it will probably lock again and again.
It doesn't matter how many times Apple unlocks it as long as there is another device with the same serial number as yours. It will keep getting re-locked again and again. Your best option is to ask for a replacement device.
 
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This is BS. The value of phones people are trying to sell or trade-in is going to change while apple is messing around with this unlock problem. They need to compensate people for the hassle and potential drop in the trade-in value if you have to get it sent back and then send it back in again.
 
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This just happened to me on my iPhone 6S Plus that I sold on ebay. Receiving of phone accused me of selling a locked phone, I accused buyer of locking it on me and returning it. Either way, I am out shipping and a negative review. Thanks Apple!!

At least, I found this thread and know that either party is at fault.
 
I wonder whether Apple needs this story to pop up on Web sites like their much beloved "The Register" to open their mouth and at least acknowledge they are aware of the problem?

I don't understand how the same company can combine quite a respectable approach to users' privacy and data security with this ugly fashion of keeping silence about the very existence of the issues until people become really loud and what could be resolved nicely becomes a public scandal.

I don't think this is a question of whether we need publicity concerning this issue, but the best way in which to obtain publicity in order to force Apple to respond. Suggestions?

I have already posted to my FB and Twitter accounts.


Same thing here. Got a 7 Plus and was prepping my 6s Plus for sale when I noticed the activation lock. Went to Apple with original receipt, box and drivers license and they unlocked it. I shipped it to Gazelle and it was locked AGAIN! My $325 offer was changed to $75.

They are sending it back but how am I going to ever sell this phone to anyone but Apple when it will probably lock again and again.

Yes. At this point, I don't know how this system can be saved. Once th[e] technology [to duplicate device IDs] is in the open, as it already is, there is no reversing course. I am all for disabling the activation lock, if that is the only way to ensure I won't get locked out of my own devices--Mac or iDevices.
 
I don't think this is a question of whether we need publicity concerning this issue, but the best way in which to obtain publicity in order to force Apple to respond. Suggestions?

As I personally don't have any social network accounts, I just forwarded the link to this discussion to those of my fellow Apple users who are curious and interested in information security and privacy issues and have bought things from Apple not because they are fashionable and shiny. Hope they will spread it further.
 
It doesn't matter how many times Apple unlocks it as long as there is another device with the same serial number as yours. It will keep getting re-locked again and again. Your best option is to ask for a replacement device.
This is what I'm worried about. I'm in ther 2-4 day wait period while Apple reviews the receipt I sent them to verify that I'm the iPhone 6S Plus owner. I know as soon as I get the Apple ID unlocked it's going to be locked again. At that point I'm setting up a visit at the Apple Store with a "broken" phone issue. The local Apple store directs all Apple ID issues to phone support. I'm done with phone support as I've wasted 1.5 hours on the phone with them so far.
 
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As I personally don't have any social network accounts, I just forwarded the link to this discussion to those of my fellow Apple users who are curious and interested in information security and privacy issues and have bought things from Apple not because they are fashionable and shiny. Hope they will spread it further.

I just submitted the information along with links to NBC as a suggested news story. I also told my mom to hold on to her receipts for the two iPhone 6S she and my dad just bought. I suggest everyone start taking action, if we want to see this fixed.

If Apple does not address this and this becomes a problem of serious magnitude, I will be forced to leave the Apple fold, because I cannot function with the possibility that I might have my devices locked after any restore and even three or four years later have to fight with Apple to use something for which I have paid.

I also wonder how safe are our Macs from this exploit. Less common perhaps, but the same principles would apply.
 
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I think lots of people need to be emailing Tim Cook about this too. On topic: I ran Verizon's app device check this morning and it suggested I restore. Um, nope; following Verizon's advice is what got me into this mess to begin with.

Now here is a question: as far as Phones has anyone who doesn't have a Verizon 6s or 7 encountered this? I haven't read every response of this sadly growing thread but I've seen Verizon pop up several times in the posts I've had time to read. So I am wondering if this is solely related to Verizon phones or every U.S. carrier?
 
I think lots of people need to be emailing Tim Cook about this too. On topic: I ran Verizon's app device check this morning and it suggested I restore. Um, nope; following Verizon's advice is what got me into this mess to begin with.

Now here is a question: as far as Phones has anyone who doesn't have a Verizon 6s or 7 encountered this? I haven't read every response of this sadly growing thread but I've seen Verizon pop up several times in the posts I've had time to read. So I am wondering if this is solely related to Verizon phones or every U.S. carrier?
I had issue on ATT with my 6s Plus.
 
Now here is a question: as far as Phones has anyone who doesn't have a Verizon 6s or 7 encountered this? I haven't read every response of this sadly growing thread but I've seen Verizon pop up several times in the posts I've had time to read. So I am wondering if this is solely related to Verizon phones or every U.S. carrier?

It happened to my 6s that I'm using on AT&T. I'm going to be wiping it tomorrow (again) in preparation for turning it in to Apple when I get the 7 on IUP. I plan on bringing my printed receipt with me in case I get the activation lock message.
 
New Development!!

I just logged in to my Support Profile (to verify my just-purchased AppleCAre+ plan was active on my 7+). I happened to click over to my support profile page for the 6s+ that is currently experiencing this activation lock issue AND it now showed the AppleCare+ plan expired (weird...because it was listed as valid until June 2018 just the other day!).

I then happened to click on the "Repair Activity" only to find an ongoing case for this phone to be replaced. with shipping information of who the replacement device was sent to. It would APPEAR that someone has submitted an accidental damage claim and sent in a phone to Apple. The only way this would be possible is if a cloned phone with the same IMEI/SN existed, right?!?

I'm so frustrated right now! Has anyone seen similar movement in their Support Profile's for the currently-locked iPhones?!? This is reading as MAJOR security breach to me. I won't jump to conclusions just yet until I talk to the Apple advisor but bottom line is someone essentially sent Apple a 6s+ against the AppleCare+ plan attached to my phone that has the same SN and/or IMEI as the phone I'm looking at sitting cozily on my desk here at work...it appears that Apple declined the claim and returned the original phone to the person in CA so I'm not sure what to think at this point. It was originally looking like Apple had actually replaced the phone sent to them but I don't think that actually happened.
 
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It happened to my 6s that I'm using on AT&T. I'm going to be wiping it tomorrow (again) in preparation for turning it in to Apple when I get the 7 on IUP. I plan on bringing my printed receipt with me in case I get the activation lock message.

I had issue on ATT with my 6s Plus.

Thank you both for confirming this. Sorry you had to go through it too.

@smarks90 - wow. I'll check mine when I get home to see if there was repair activity on my phone as well. If that is the case, I will definitely report this to Apple and mention it here.
 
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This probably goes without saying, but screenshot everything you're seeing as evidence, and make sure you have the agreement (account) number for your AppleCare plan. Whatever is going on, you want as much documentation as you can get your hands on.

absolutely! I have the paper trail in tact at this point and have screenshots of every one of these things. I mean for crying out loud I can see the person's house on Google Maps that this mysterious replacement was shipped to!!
 
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absolutely! I have the paper trail in tact at this point and have screenshots of every one of these things. I mean for crying out loud I can see the person's house on Google Maps that this mysterious replacement was shipped to!!

Kind of curious: Is it an address within the states? Or somewhere overseas?
 
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I have the same issue after updating my Ipad to 10.02. An Activation Lock is in place with the bones of an e-mail address that is nothing to do with me. Have been on to Apple support (now there's a misnomer) 6 times. I have provided proof of purchase but sadly my serial number seems to have been as hacked as my ipad lock because they claim I did not buy my ipad from the Apple seller on the invoice!! A brand new Ipad from a mainstream seller. I am genuinely in the place now where my Ipad is useless and Apple seem completely unwilling to lock it. £470 worth! Please please everyone who has this issue please post so Apple is forced into reversing this 10.02 method of updating. If you think I am over egging this, consider how many people actually keep a receipt for a 2-3 year old Ipad...
[doublepost=1475866506][/doublepost]
Don't worry buddy, they'll get it sorted for you. I know it's a pain waiting, but it'll all be fine before you know it. :)

If only it was that straightforward... see my later post...
[doublepost=1475866646][/doublepost]
I just submitted the information along with links to NBC as a suggested news story. I also told my mom to hold on to her receipts for the two iPhone 6S she and my dad just bought. I suggest everyone start taking action, if we want to see this fixed.

If Apple does not address this and this becomes a problem of serious magnitude, I will be forced to leave the Apple fold, because I cannot function with the possibility that I might have my devices locked after any restore and even three or four years later have to fight with Apple to use something for which I have paid.

I also wonder how safe are our Macs from this exploit. Less common perhaps, but the same principles would apply.

You have my 100% support. Apple are unwilling to admit what a complete mess they are in. See my later post. Perhaps a class action would be the next step. I would certainly be supportive of that!
[doublepost=1475867006][/doublepost]
HaHa-I was waiting for it :)

I potentially see real grounds for it at some point if Apple doesn't make this right quickly. If this is more widespread than currently realized and there is a legitimate "hack"/theft of SN/IMEI/personal information/other at play that resulted in this being possible, then someone with the resources would have a case in theory. I have ZERO legal background or a family-attorney to consult on this. I'm not quite there mentally at this point to consider something that extreme. If my primary phone was the one that was bricked I would probably be singing a different tune :p

I am supportive of a class action. My 2013 IPAD is stuck with an Activation Lock after updating to 10.02. It is supposedly locked to a 'find my ipad' and an e-mail address that is nothing to do with me. Worse, when I provided my proof of purchase to get it unlocked I was told that I didn't purchase my brand new Ipad from the store it says on the invoice. If my nightmare doesn't reflect the worse case scenario then I don't know whose does. I now have a £470 useless Ipad, an Ipad that was on my Apple profile up to 2 weeks ago when I deleted to following one of Apple's own solutions to remedying this problem. And Apple don't seem to be able to see that either!!! Welcome to my world.
 
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absolutely! I have the paper trail in tact at this point and have screenshots of every one of these things. I mean for crying out loud I can see the person's house on Google Maps that this mysterious replacement was shipped to!!

Holy cow, that is is insane (I liked your post because of how thorough you are covering yourself). So here's a question now that you know this person's address do you have a phone # or email address - or did Apple not provide that to you? *I'm being this nosy because I was hit with identity theft in the past.

I will report back later tonight after I log in. Hope I won't have to call Apple Support.

An aside, I just remembered when I was trying to change my Apple ID a couple of weeks back while waiting for my 6s to be unlocked that there were no devices associated with my now former (yahoo) ID. Once I was able to change my Apple ID to the new one, I could only see my iMac. I have not logged into Manage your Apple ID since and I am wondering if I should. I mentioned this to one of the two reps I was dealing with (one for the 6s and one for my Apple IDs), but whomever I mentioned that to said that they can see my phone being associated with my account from their end, but I forgot if I asked why I couldn't?
 
Kind of curious: Is it an address within the states? Or somewhere overseas?


It's an address in California, the person who signed for the replacement delivery has the last name Wang. I wonder....
[doublepost=1475871540][/doublepost]
Holy cow, that is is insane (I liked your post because of how thorough you are covering yourself). So here's a question now that you know this person's address do you have a phone # or email address - or did Apple not provide that to you? *I'm being this nosy because I was hit with identity theft in the past.

I will report back later tonight after I log in. Hope I won't have to call Apple Support.

An aside, I just remembered when I was trying to change my Apple ID a couple of weeks back while waiting for my 6s to be unlocked that there were no devices associated with my now former (yahoo) ID. Once I was able to change my Apple ID to the new one, I could only see my iMac. I have not logged into Manage your Apple ID since and I am wondering if I should. I mentioned this to one of the two reps I was dealing with (one for the 6s and one for my Apple IDs), but whomever I mentioned that to said that they can see my phone being associated with my account from their end, but I forgot if I asked why I couldn't?


Clearly I'm not the only one affected by the activation lock issue.... and time will tell if it proceeds from there for others as it has as of today for me. I've got a 1300 word email drafted to send to the Tim Cook inbox that outlines the timeline from purchasing original 6s+, to replacement 6s+ in June '16, to original activation lock on September 26th, to the newest developments with this fraudulent accidental damage case today.

I'm going to CC the apple adviser I've been working with. Sadly he's out of office until Sunday so no real progress will be made from that end until then. I haven't decided if I'll wait to talk to him before I send the email to Tim Cook...

At this point I'm INVOLVED, and as far as I can tell, the only reported person who has seen this fraudulent repair case appear with a replacement phone sent to someone... sigh.
 
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Since the serial numbers are on the box, back of the phone, and also on many pictures of phones sold on ebay, the serial #'s aren't intended to be secret. The issue seems to be people know how to replace a stolen phones serial # with a good one. This is where the problem is. The equipment in the manufacturing line that uploads this information must have been compromised or stolen so someone can do it to any phone. Apple needs to suspend their activation lock till they know how to fix this issue.
 
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Since the serial numbers are on the box, back of the phone, and also on many pictures of phones sold on ebay, the serial #'s aren't intended to be secret. The issue seems to be people know how to replace a stolen phones serial # with a good one. This is where the problem is. The equipment in the manufacturing line that uploads this information must have been compromised or stolen so someone can do it to any phone. Apple needs to suspend their activation lock till they know how to fix this issue.

bigger issue here is that someone how now cashed in on MY applecare+ agreement and had their fraudulent SN/IMEI phone replaced under one of the incidents of accidental damage my AppleCare+ covers
 
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bigger issue here is that someone how now cashed in on MY applecare+ agreement and had their fraudulent SN/IMEI phone replaced under one of the incidents of accidental damage my AppleCare+ covers


That is crazy that they could do that without some proof of original purchase. Apple has a major problem here.... The hackers and thieves definitely have figured things out.
 
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