iPhone Lost/ Stolen. Activation lock email. Can it be bypassed?

But lost mode and playing a sound will also only work once it's connected to internet again, which apparently it hasn't been yet.

And likely never will be for any length of time.

nd what about the email I received? I understand that Apple sends a message when my apple id is being requested for activation lock, but how was it sent/ triggered in the first place?

As several of us have said, I have no idea what value that message from Apple may have. That's why I don't believe it's real. And again, of the 100s of posts here about getting their phone back, no user has ever referenced it.

It doesn't tell you anything you didn't already know. I have no idea how it was triggered, unless Apple's activation server now detects attempts to activate and sends the registered email address for that Apple ID that message.

But once again... why?

Apple is typically pretty passive about lost & stolen devices and puts the onus on the user to act if they so choose.

alba_ft wrote:

I'm quite sure it's legit.

2. If I hover over it with a mouse it is the same return address.

3. When I click "Forgotten your password?" or any of the other links it takes me to Apple Support pages

[snip]

I would treat this as highly suspicious, about as suspicious as a masked guy with bag marked “Swag” loitering outside a bank. If the email includes fields to enter your details I am am pretty sure the email is a scam. Any fields you are offered to enter details will go to a completely different non-Apple address owned by account thieves.

You can report the suspicious email to Apple at reportphishing@apple.com but I’m not sure if they will respond to confirm genuine or fake.

Apple ID with a reasonably good passphrase is effectively unbreakable for most thieves. The only known way is a brute force attack so first they try all the obvious popular ones like 1234 and Password1234 but if they fail on that a simple 6 character string has roughly 90^6 = 500 billion possible variations to keep them busy with trial and error for a while. That’s why they resort to phishing.

Apple will never ask by email for authentication details or passwords. That’s DOES NOT, NOT EVER, just like your bank will never ask for your online login and complete password to be sent to them. The only time Apple requests your Apple ID or password is in a secured web login page (https and closed padlock symbol) like you see when you sign on to post here, in a login challenge you triggered, are expecting, etc. During setup you would expect to enter your Apple ID directly into the device, not through something sent by email.

Setting up the email with links to Apple support documents is a simple no brain task even I can manage many times most days. In fact, here’s one which might be relevant to your questions, Avoid phishing emails, fake 'virus' alerts, phony support calls, and other scams - Apple Support - and that is a genuine Apple link we use regularly here in the support communities.

Yes, adding links makes the scam email look authentic and by the time you come to the trap you are already conditioned by previous checks to think everything so far is genuine Apple.

On the remote chance it is genuine, it would imply the thief has probably wiped your missing device using iTunes and is trying to reconfigure it but hit the Activation Lock wall. Ignore the message because you don’t have the device in your hand, and whatever else DO NOT REMOVE IT from Find my iPhone or your Apple ID collection of known devices.

I am reluctant to disagree with a highly-respected colleague but I must. The OP posted the entire email, including the hyperlinks. I checked every one of the hyperlinks and they're all legit. At the same time, I am unable to determine what triggers the email. This is simply weird.

I don’t think we are disagreeing, simply approaching the matter from opposite sides. You are saying you didn’t see anything to mark it as obviously fake, and I say I have not seen anything to convince me it is genuine. My standards of proof are pretty high, like a trail of internet mail headers showing a plausible route from an originating server which is traceable to Apple.

Adding: highly-respected? Moi????? I’m never going to live that down.

Adding: highly-respected? Moi????? I’m never going to live that down.

I figured that this thread needed some humor!

On the flip side, I can't see anything at all in that email that could benefit a thief.

Well done to find that thread amongst the millions and post that link. With that... I am suspicious by nature so I would still be making exactly the same check for my self, direct with Apple.

Unfortunately, one way or the other, the email probably means someone tried to reconfigure your device so it is unlikely you will get it back. The good news part is probably that they already wiped it to try and reinstall for their own use, so any data it used to hold is safe.

Hmmm...

I stand corrected. Presumably that message resulted from something that the thief tried to do.

Good point. I'm clueless. You didn't delete the phone from iCloud, did you?

This is really weird Sorry that I can’t help. Good luck to you,

Will do.

I agree,

I have gotten email’s from that email and it’s just Apple Support Community stuff.

And other email things like Find My iPhone.

If it’s never been activated yet, then the person probably can not activate it.

Do you have your iPhone 7 files on a different device?