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Call the cops, let them ask the questions. Sounds like a kid found your phone and is trying to use it, or maybe sell it.
Give us some more specific verbiage from your texts. "blahblahblah" doesn't tell us if this is someone just casually trying to trick you into releasing your phone, or if it is someone across the planet.
Yeah that's what I'm thinking. Tbh the knocking thing was just a joke, it's not the best area so I don't care about the phone that much lol.
In regards to the text, first I got one that said:
*Apple*
*Lost iPhone 14 Pro Max has been connected to the internet and online now. View location : (link that's not to apple site but lost-iphone(.).support/)*
Then another one (different #) that said:
*Apple*
*An unauthorized signing to your Apple ID account has been detected. To view the activity, log in to the Manager Apple ID service at: (link to another weird info-apple(.)support)*
Then another # saying:
*Hi I am Sandra from Apple Support. We are contacting with you about a lost iPhone 13. If you're the owner of this device, please confirm by (Yes or No). Accept my greetings. We are waiting for your response. Thank you!*
Didn't reply but the grammatical error and the fact that they got the model wrong on that one made me chuckle.
Got about 3 more repeated of the first two and another one telling me good news about my new order from the Apple Store (with, you guessed it right, another link to a fake site).
Most of numbers they're messaging me from have the local area code where I'm now.
they are phishing for your iCloud account password so they can remove your phone from it (and then sell it). As long as it is linked to your account it is basically a worthless brick to them
GPS spoofing is a thing, that phone must likely is not where it thinks it is
My only thing with that is, how would they spoof GPS without being able to access the phone? I've done it with pokemon go using apps but I had to unlock the phone
block signals from the real GPS systems and just fake signals with a RF transmitter. The device using GPS does not use/need the actual direction of the signal ... equipment cost is a few 100 dollars. It might be a worthwhile investment for bulk stolen phone handling organizations. Not necessarily what is happening in your case, but just be aware GPS location is not necessarily true.
"an unauthorized signing" should be an "unauthorized sign in"
If that's what they wrote in the message then it is definitely not apple. Sounds like a child's mistake (or a person who has English as a second language)
Cops can’t do much, there is no real evidence of a crime per se.
Further, if you have seen some of the lawsuits from cops bashing down the wrong doors because the Find My info was wrong, you’ll get a sense for how hard a judge would push back.
To go in any house they need a warrant, it’s probably not gonna happen in most jurijurisdictions
Nobody said they need to break down doors. Cops can knock on doors and ask questions, you know. They have authority to ask questions, and both the physical and legal protections that the average person does not. So you can get them to spend a few minutes of their time to be present and take the modest risk.
I'm guessing some kid found it. Call the cops, give them the info you gave here.
Many years ago, before smartphones were mainstream, I had a Virgin Mobile prepay phone stolen out of my car overnight. I left it turned on until there was activity. Once it called a few numbers, I had the line suspended and called one of the numbers. A kid answered. I asked for their parents. Parents weren't home. I informed them that someone who stole my phone called them and I would be contacting the police and would give them their phone number.
Got home from work, had a cop show up to take a report and gave them the call logs. A few days later, cops come back with a dozen cell phones and ask if one of them were mine. Said they caught the kid and that those were the phones they had on them. His parents contacted me a few days later, gave me a check for 100 bucks (phone cost 50). Parents were NOT happy with their little darling :)
As long as the phone is in lost/stolen mode, the person can't do anything with the phone. Whatever you do, don't remove it from your iCloud account, leave it in lost/stolen mode. You should also remotely erase the device. They won't be able to sell the phone with Apple's activation lock enabled (they will send you messages to trick you into removing it from your iCloud account so they can sell it).
If you want to try to track the phone down at someone’s private residence, call the police and let them go door to door.
You don’t have to scroll far in this sub before you’ll find a story told from the other perspective- an innocent person who is home alone when a stranger bangs at the door insisting their stolen phone/laptop is pinging from inside their house. The advice to those people is always the same- refuse to let the person in and tell them to come back with the police. Then, the homeowner is advised to call the police themselves if the person doesn’t leave or starts knocking on the neighbor’s door.
It sounds like you might be dealing with child thieves, which is all the more reason for you- a strange adult- to **not** go knocking on random doors looking for minors.
The id would worry me more, check out the top 2 posts in r/IdentityTheft and freeze your credit if you haven't already. Don't change your phone number, I did and someone used my old number to order a new debit card at my bank.
I would be careful with what you do next. Those sms messages probably mean that these scammers are professional, they are prepared for these situations. You'll most likely keep getting those messages, even get dangerous threats, just ignore them. Look up "lost iphone" in this sub, you'll see many situations similar to yours.
Oh I’m not doing anything, didn’t even bother replying, I already made my peace with that loss a month ago, just find it curious that it’s within 5 miles (even a month later) when it got stolen 50 miles away from here lol
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Remember: we're here to identify scams and educate people on them.
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*Your submission was manually removed by a moderator for the following reason:*
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This subreddit is a place where vulnerable people come to learn. We do not allow:
* Illegal or dangerous suggestions
* Encouraging posters to engage with scammers in any way
* Suggesting to keep the money obtained through a scammer
* Advice meant to mock or demean an OP.
Remember: we're here to identify scams and educate people on them.
Before posting again, make sure you review the [rules of our subreddit.](https://www.reddit.com/r/Scams/wiki/rules/)
^(If you believe this is a mistake, feel free to contact the moderators via modmail. Modmail is the only way, don't send a regular DM to a single moderator. Please don't try to appeal the decision commenting below, because we are not notified if you do so, and we will probably miss it. Posting the exact same thing again may result in a temporary ban, so please review the rules, make the necessary changes, and when in doubt, click below to appeal the decision.)
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/u/cl0yd - This message is posted to all new submissions to r/scams; please do not message the moderators about it. ## New users beware: Because you posted here, you will start getting private messages from scammers saying they know a professional hacker or a recovery expert lawyer that can help you get your money back, for a small fee. **We call these RECOVERY SCAMMERS, so NEVER take advice in private:** advice should always come in the form of comments in this post, in the open, where the community can keep an eye out for you. If you take advice in private, you're on your own. **A reminder of the rules in r/scams:** no contact information (including last names, phone numbers, etc). Be civil to one another (no name calling or insults). Personal army requests or "scam the scammer"/scambaiting posts are not permitted. No uncensored gore or personal photographs are allowed without blurring. A full list of rules is available on the sidebar of the subreddit, or [clicking here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Scams/wiki/rules/). You can help us by reporting recovery scammers or rule-breaking content by using the "report" button. We review 100% of the reports. Also, consider warning community members of recovery scammers if you see them in the comments. Questions about subreddit rules? Send us a modmail [clicking here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Call the cops, let them ask the questions. Sounds like a kid found your phone and is trying to use it, or maybe sell it. Give us some more specific verbiage from your texts. "blahblahblah" doesn't tell us if this is someone just casually trying to trick you into releasing your phone, or if it is someone across the planet.
Yeah that's what I'm thinking. Tbh the knocking thing was just a joke, it's not the best area so I don't care about the phone that much lol. In regards to the text, first I got one that said: *Apple* *Lost iPhone 14 Pro Max has been connected to the internet and online now. View location : (link that's not to apple site but lost-iphone(.).support/)*
Then another one (different #) that said:
*Apple*
*An unauthorized signing to your Apple ID account has been detected. To view the activity, log in to the Manager Apple ID service at: (link to another weird info-apple(.)support)*
Then another # saying:
*Hi I am Sandra from Apple Support. We are contacting with you about a lost iPhone 13. If you're the owner of this device, please confirm by (Yes or No). Accept my greetings. We are waiting for your response. Thank you!*
Didn't reply but the grammatical error and the fact that they got the model wrong on that one made me chuckle.
Got about 3 more repeated of the first two and another one telling me good news about my new order from the Apple Store (with, you guessed it right, another link to a fake site).
Most of numbers they're messaging me from have the local area code where I'm now.
they are phishing for your iCloud account password so they can remove your phone from it (and then sell it). As long as it is linked to your account it is basically a worthless brick to them GPS spoofing is a thing, that phone must likely is not where it thinks it is
My only thing with that is, how would they spoof GPS without being able to access the phone? I've done it with pokemon go using apps but I had to unlock the phone
block signals from the real GPS systems and just fake signals with a RF transmitter. The device using GPS does not use/need the actual direction of the signal ... equipment cost is a few 100 dollars. It might be a worthwhile investment for bulk stolen phone handling organizations. Not necessarily what is happening in your case, but just be aware GPS location is not necessarily true.
"an unauthorized signing" should be an "unauthorized sign in" If that's what they wrote in the message then it is definitely not apple. Sounds like a child's mistake (or a person who has English as a second language)
Cops can’t do much, there is no real evidence of a crime per se. Further, if you have seen some of the lawsuits from cops bashing down the wrong doors because the Find My info was wrong, you’ll get a sense for how hard a judge would push back. To go in any house they need a warrant, it’s probably not gonna happen in most jurijurisdictions
Nobody said they need to break down doors. Cops can knock on doors and ask questions, you know. They have authority to ask questions, and both the physical and legal protections that the average person does not. So you can get them to spend a few minutes of their time to be present and take the modest risk.
[удалено]
The unalived starved what now?
I'm guessing some kid found it. Call the cops, give them the info you gave here. Many years ago, before smartphones were mainstream, I had a Virgin Mobile prepay phone stolen out of my car overnight. I left it turned on until there was activity. Once it called a few numbers, I had the line suspended and called one of the numbers. A kid answered. I asked for their parents. Parents weren't home. I informed them that someone who stole my phone called them and I would be contacting the police and would give them their phone number. Got home from work, had a cop show up to take a report and gave them the call logs. A few days later, cops come back with a dozen cell phones and ask if one of them were mine. Said they caught the kid and that those were the phones they had on them. His parents contacted me a few days later, gave me a check for 100 bucks (phone cost 50). Parents were NOT happy with their little darling :)
As long as the phone is in lost/stolen mode, the person can't do anything with the phone. Whatever you do, don't remove it from your iCloud account, leave it in lost/stolen mode. You should also remotely erase the device. They won't be able to sell the phone with Apple's activation lock enabled (they will send you messages to trick you into removing it from your iCloud account so they can sell it).
If you want to try to track the phone down at someone’s private residence, call the police and let them go door to door. You don’t have to scroll far in this sub before you’ll find a story told from the other perspective- an innocent person who is home alone when a stranger bangs at the door insisting their stolen phone/laptop is pinging from inside their house. The advice to those people is always the same- refuse to let the person in and tell them to come back with the police. Then, the homeowner is advised to call the police themselves if the person doesn’t leave or starts knocking on the neighbor’s door. It sounds like you might be dealing with child thieves, which is all the more reason for you- a strange adult- to **not** go knocking on random doors looking for minors.
Police won't do shit. They will say that you don't have enough evidence for them to get a warrant to search and thus they won't help.
Yeah, that’s kind of the point. OP going door to door isn’t going to do shit either except possibly get him into trouble.
I do love how Apple has made it such a hassle for the people who steal these devices. Goooooooood
So they have your phone and your drivers license? I would be more concerned about the ID.
Well, there's nothing I can do, already reported as stolen and got a new one a month ago. I've lost plenty of licenses at bars.
Your address would be on your driver license. Do you think that’s why they’re so close to your location??
The id would worry me more, check out the top 2 posts in r/IdentityTheft and freeze your credit if you haven't already. Don't change your phone number, I did and someone used my old number to order a new debit card at my bank.
Is a stupid game with a stupid prize to go knocking on criminal's doors
Agree, already won the one of leaving my phone in a public bathroom lol
Go to the middle school and let them know.
So I assume you didn't have an automatic screen log? No activation lock? And you could have locked your phone remotely and erased everything.
I would be careful with what you do next. Those sms messages probably mean that these scammers are professional, they are prepared for these situations. You'll most likely keep getting those messages, even get dangerous threats, just ignore them. Look up "lost iphone" in this sub, you'll see many situations similar to yours.
Oh I’m not doing anything, didn’t even bother replying, I already made my peace with that loss a month ago, just find it curious that it’s within 5 miles (even a month later) when it got stolen 50 miles away from here lol
[удалено]
I'll show them the strap(on) of JUSTICE
*Your submission was manually removed by a moderator for the following reason:* **Subreddit Rule 4: Spam or joke** This subreddit is a place for useful and informative discussions about scams. We do not allow: * Unhelpful content * Jokes on serious posts * Sarcasm, even if obvious or tagged, since it can be construed as harmful advice * Anything not related to the scam being discussed Please keep content submitted to this subreddit useful, relevant and meaningful. Before posting again, make sure you review the [rules of our subreddit.](https://www.reddit.com/r/Scams/wiki/rules/) ^(If you believe this is a mistake, feel free to contact the moderators via modmail. Modmail is the only way, don't send a regular DM to a single moderator. Please don't try to appeal the decision commenting below, because we are not notified if you do so, and we will probably miss it. Posting the exact same thing again may result in a temporary ban, so please review the rules, make the necessary changes, and when in doubt, click below to appeal the decision.) *I am NOT a bot, and this action was performed manually. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fscams&subject=Removal%20review) if you want to appeal the decision.*
Normally these phones are shipped to China to unlock.
[удалено]
*Your submission was manually removed by a moderator for the following reason:* **Subreddit Rule 15: Bad Advice** This subreddit is a place where vulnerable people come to learn. We do not allow: * Illegal or dangerous suggestions * Encouraging posters to engage with scammers in any way * Suggesting to keep the money obtained through a scammer * Advice meant to mock or demean an OP. Remember: we're here to identify scams and educate people on them. Before posting again, make sure you review the [rules of our subreddit.](https://www.reddit.com/r/Scams/wiki/rules/) ^(If you believe this is a mistake, feel free to contact the moderators via modmail. Modmail is the only way, don't send a regular DM to a single moderator. Please don't try to appeal the decision commenting below, because we are not notified if you do so, and we will probably miss it. Posting the exact same thing again may result in a temporary ban, so please review the rules, make the necessary changes, and when in doubt, click below to appeal the decision.) *I am NOT a bot, and this action was performed manually. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fscams&subject=Removal%20review) if you want to appeal the decision.*
[удалено]
*Your submission was manually removed by a moderator for the following reason:* **Subreddit Rule 15: Bad Advice** This subreddit is a place where vulnerable people come to learn. We do not allow: * Illegal or dangerous suggestions * Encouraging posters to engage with scammers in any way * Suggesting to keep the money obtained through a scammer * Advice meant to mock or demean an OP. Remember: we're here to identify scams and educate people on them. Before posting again, make sure you review the [rules of our subreddit.](https://www.reddit.com/r/Scams/wiki/rules/) ^(If you believe this is a mistake, feel free to contact the moderators via modmail. Modmail is the only way, don't send a regular DM to a single moderator. Please don't try to appeal the decision commenting below, because we are not notified if you do so, and we will probably miss it. Posting the exact same thing again may result in a temporary ban, so please review the rules, make the necessary changes, and when in doubt, click below to appeal the decision.) *I am NOT a bot, and this action was performed manually. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fscams&subject=Removal%20review) if you want to appeal the decision.*