Stolen IPhone and Apple ID password changed

I have a near identical situation.

I write this from a new, temporary Apple ID.

The criminals stole my iphone, somehow got into my iphone and immediately changed my password. Locking me out of my Apple ID.

They proceeded to drain my checking and savings accounts. An estimated $50K.

I am devistated.

Also compromised were my 4 credit cards tied to ApplePay, where they made numerous transactions. They also used CashAp, AppleCash, Venmo, and PayPal to buy bitcoin.

The bank and credit card fraud departments are working with me but the criminals remain in my iPhone and cancel my Apple Recovery on a daily basis. Resetting the 14 day Apple clock daily. I call Apple every day, and they say they can do nothing to assist.

I have no idea what to do.

Beyond financial implications, because they are still in my phone and keep canceling the Apple recovery period, I can no longer access 10years of family photos and experiences. All my contacts are gone, and they keep trying to withdraw in increments of $4k, $7k, $8k, and $15k. My account are now frozen, but these regular attempts still affect my ability to transfer the money out as they Bank investigates and credits me for the fraud.

I need help. Somebody, anybody… please give me guidance. Apple will do nothing to assist. I’m devastated by this.

Is there enough people experiencing this for a class action suit? What recourse is available? Why can’t Apple do something?

Are there agencies that can help? I’ve reported to the local police. They could not care less about this. FBI? Who.

Please help.

I was sitting at a bus stop and a young kid asked me for the bus schedule saying his phone had died. I typed in my pass code and asked what to type to find the schedule then he grabbed it from my hands and ran. He knew my pass code and changed my Apple ID/iCloud password. This happened on 2/25/24. I have been in an account recovery process but since they still have access to my phone/iCloud account, it keeps canceling the process. I’ve been on the phone with at least 10 Apple support personnel trying to figure out my options. Today 3/15/24, Apple has told me there is nothing they can do besides go to the police and have them track down my stolen phone. I live in LA and I know their resources aren’t going to find a stolen phone from 3 weeks ago. I lost 12 years of photos/videos/contacts. On top of having to dispute all credit card transactions they made, cancel all banking information, order a new ID (my ID was in my phone case). Apple has been no help and keeps leading me into dead end roads day after day. I’ve completely lost hope at this point. Apple needs to figure out what to do in these situations besides leaving their customers out to dry with no other options. If you’re going to create a company that everyone relies on- figure out a solution for people who are in the situation. It is absolutely devastating.

So sorry to hear this, this is actually a reported activity (see coverage here).

Unfortunately this is an issue with no easy solution. What probably happened here: they knew your iPhone passcode and you can change the Apple ID password simply by entering your iPhone passcode in Settings.

Now, if they haven't logged you out of your other Apple devices, you can do the same and lock them out/erase the phone ASAP: Change your Apple ID password - Apple Support. All you need is an Apple device with your iCloud account logged in. Then erase the device using Find My if it's still logged in.

Jumping in with an update, especially for folks who are currently unaffected but would like to protect themselves from a similar attack in the future. iOS 17.3, released yesterday, introduces Stolen Device Protection (see About Stolen Device Protection for iPhone - Apple Support). If you enable it,

Some actions such as accessing stored passwords and credit cards require a single biometric authentication with Face ID or Touch ID — with no passcode alternative or fallback — so that only you can access these features.

Some security actions such as changing your Apple ID password also require you to wait an hour and then perform a second Face ID or Touch ID authentication.

To enable,

1. Go to Settings, then tap Face ID & Passcode.
2. Enter your device passcode.
3. Tap to turn Stolen Device Protection on. 

Same thing is happening to me. Somebody has gotten into my phone and hacked it through email or cloning it and had to gain access to my Apple ID and then took control of my iCloud. It got locked because of unusual activity and I don’t remember from a year ago, the 28 digit pass key or I didn’t write it down and the screenshot that I took was in the photos that they took And there’s no way for me to get it back. If apples what they say they are on top of the game like they say they are. They need step it up but they need to start paying us the money that their client is losing.

I have a very similar situation. I was at a bus stop, someone said their phone had died and asked me to look up the bus schedule. They saw me put in my passcode and took the phone from my hands and ran. Within 20 minutes I was completely locked out of everything- they changed my passcode/iCloud account password and the phone was disabled so I could no longer track the phone. Credit cards were charged, Ubers were taken, Uber food was sent, etc. These people clearly knew what they were doing. I’ve been in account recovery but they interrupt every step of the way. It’s been 3 weeks now and Apple has told me they are closing my case because there is nothing they can do because my stolen phone is still actively using my iCloud account on a “trusted device”. My only option is to go to the police and try to have them track down the stolen phone, which is an impossible task in LA. I know this isn’t super helpful but I understand the pain you are going through. Keep us updated on your situation.

The same happen to me, my phone was stolen from my hand, and I thought to my self ( no problem the phone is locked with Face ID and passcode) wrong ! The person was able to access my phone and all my personal data, stole from my personal bank account and till this day is being now 7 days he is trying to regain access to the corporate account from work, so far he has stole over 5k , went to Apple Store call them 100 times and they don’t care and they can’t do nothing. How is that even possible. I was locked out f Apple ID, Apple Pay, DoorDash, Uber, cash app and all gmail account.

Did you find resolution. I need help. Please let me know anything you can share to assist.

This has happened to my husband, devastated. Can you confirm if you got anywhere?