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Person who found my stolen iPhone contacted me?

L

littlet4lks

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 18, 2017
3
2
My iPhone was stolen from me around two years ago and all of the sudden yesterday I get a notification on WhatsApp from a man saying that they have my phone and that they want me to delete my ICloud account or give them the information for it so they could use my phone.

They keep contacting me from different numbers and I keep blocking them but I am getting concerned. I was wondering how they were able to get my phone number if my phone was locked and reported on Find my iPhone when it was stolen?

I don't know what I should do.
 
BasicGreatGuy said:
I agree with contacting the police. Give the local authorities all the information you have thus far.
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Right!

The cops can do things should they choose to act on this.

Unknown to me, one of our email accounts at work was sending out spam. I got a call from Scottsdale, AZ police at work because someone in Scottsdale reported it to the police and they tracked it to our business. First time I've ever had to speak to a police detective about unawanted spam emanating from one of the work email accounts.

This was 2005 or so. They've gotten a lot more resources since then.
 
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Someone is asking you to help them use your stolen phone?!

Why don't you tell them to go f*** themselves, and that you're calling the police?

I mean, it's likely that they bought the phone from the original thief and they don't know (although it should be obvious) that it's stolen, but still...
 
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eyoungren said:
Right!

The cops can do things should they choose to act on this.

Unknown to me, one of our email accounts at work was sending out spam. I got a call from Scottsdale, AZ police at work because someone in Scottsdale reported it to the police and they tracked it to our business. First time I've ever had to speak to a police detective about unawanted spam emanating from one of the work email accounts.

This was 2005 or so. They've gotten a lot more resources since then.
Click to expand...

I can't speak for the OP's local law-enforcement practices, but they can "Ping" the cell phone numbers, which would ultimately give them a location from where the calls are coming from. That is, if the numbers are legitimate and they're are not spoofed. However, pinging is typically for emergencies only. But I have seen it where law-enforcement will use it in a situation with stolen phones, with the cooperation from the carrier.
 
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You people got better police than we do. If we can get them to fill out a report we feel lucky. Thousands of phones go missing every day and few are recovered by the police.

This person is a real jerk and I am betting calling him names or threatening him with the police will not concern him in the least.
 
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Tell him you tried but failed. Apparently you need to input the password into the device. Ask him where he is, if he admits to being close, arrange a meet in a hotel. Have an officer waiting with you. Or a heavy squad...
[doublepost=1489921628][/doublepost]In the event that you try this approach, make sure you are not followed home, even after an apparent no-show. Stay safe.
 
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sorcery said:
Tell him you tried but failed. Apparently you need to input the password into the device. Ask him where he is, if he admits to being close, arrange a meet in a hotel. Have an officer waiting with you. Or a heavy squad...
[doublepost=1489921628][/doublepost]In the event that you try this approach, make sure you are not followed home, even after an apparent no-show. Stay safe.
Click to expand...

I would suggest moving on. Just block the number when called. The thief will loose interest once he know you are not going to come through.

I would not meet the person. He will be selling it for parts soon.
 
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foxconn said:
Show us the conversations with this guy. Personally I would just mess with him
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Or you can do that!

I'd start by saying the phone was stolen and would he please return it? Then I'd ask for money to remove the lock.
 
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Tell them the phone is stolen so you will not be unlocking it, and if they do not return it you will be reporting them to the police. Most likely they purchased it from craigslist without knowing that it was stolen, but they still should return it.
 
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mrkramer said:
Tell them the phone is stolen so you will not be unlocking it, and if they do not return it you will be reporting them to the police. Most likely they purchased it from craigslist without knowing that it was stolen, but they still should return it.
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Considering they keep on contacting from different numbers it already seems either the know the phone was stolen or basically don't care.
 
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Relentless Power said:
I can't speak for the OP's local law-enforcement practices, but they can "Ping" the cell phone numbers, which would ultimately give them a location from where the calls are coming from. That is, if the numbers are legitimate and they're are not spoofed. However, pinging is typically for emergencies only. But I have seen it where law-enforcement will use it in a situation with stolen phones, with the cooperation from the carrier.
Click to expand...
If the phone is iCloud locked, then Find My iPhone is likelyl on. That would help locate it.
 
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LoliS said:
If the phone is iCloud locked, then Find My iPhone is likelyl on. That would help locate it.
Click to expand...

If they restored the phone then he will not be able to track it any longer with find my iphone.
It will just be stuck at the icloud activation lock screen asking for the owners Apple ID and password.
I think that is the case with this device that was stolen a few years back.
 
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