My iPhone 15 Promax and 13 Promax was stolen. Find my was on for both devices. The thieves turned the phones for a few minutes and then would turn them off. And a few days later all the phones were removed from my account. They have disappeared. How is this possible? I guess the iPhone is not as they say that when stolen you know where it is. Thieves and hackers are well ahead of Apple.
iPhone 13 Pro Max, iOS 17
Did you have a passcode on the phones?
Somebody got your credentials. It is the only logical explanation. Two possible ways in my mind that they could have:
1). The phishing email as Axel has detailed above. The thieves sent and email from "Apple" claiming that your phone was found and that to "recover" it you needed to click on the link and enter Apple ID and password.
2) They legitimately used one of the phones in order to get by 2 step verification when resetting the Apple ID password (assuming both phones were trusted devices). Getting by 2 step and having your phone number allowed the thieves to reset the password.
Chattanoogan wrote:
The OP stated he was offline during all of this so he would not have been alerted by the Verification Code “PopUp.”
I was not referring the the OP getting 2 step verification after the phones were stolen, but rather that the thieves with TWO stolen (assumed) trusted devices would be able to send a code from one to be verified by the other.
Mamagoose: They could have logged in to your AppleID from a webrowser: no access is needed to your phone. From there it is a cinch to delete your phones from the account. Have you tried logging in to your Apple account?
I agree with Chattanoogan that the thieves must have had part of your personal info (password, passcode lock) in order to have access to you Apple account.
How did you receive that notification? AND were you presented with a link to your iCloud account within that notification?
It is important to know about the above because the thief may have sent that message with a link for you to click on and enter your Apple ID and Password. The thief then captures your credentials and uses the information to remove the device from your Apple ID. I am trying to explain how the thief may have gotten your Apple ID and Password.
Axel F.
Did you get an email or a text that claimed that your iPhone(s) were found and to log in on a website with your Apple ID and Password? If you received such an email or a text, then it was a phishing email to capture your Apple ID and Password once you enter the information on the fake website. Just wondering whether you received such an email/text.
Axel F.
A third possibility is that they knew the AppleID password AND had access to one of the Trusted Numbers.
The OP stated he was offline during all of this so he would not have been alerted by the Verification Code “PopUp.”
Trusted numbers are those additional SMS or Voice Numbers which are pre-designated by you to receive your 6-digit verification codes.
They are intended to allow you to regain access to your account when you’ve lost access to your Trusted Devices.
Armed with this info (including your AppleID password) they could access your AppleID “as you”
I just got a notification saying someone has accessed my iCloud account. And when I accessed my account, the stolen devices had disappeared from my device list. My password is only known to me. I have Face ID, passcode, 2 step verification but still thieves and hackers are ahead of Apple. I’m sooo disappointed.
No link came. I clicked nothing. I had no internet where I was when all this hacking was being done do I did not aid in the hacking. All I got was a notification saying someone had accessed my iCloud account and when I checked on Find My, my devices had gone gone gone.
Re: “… But still what use is the IMEI number if the phones cannot be tracked …”
Phones can still be tracked; just not w/ FindMy.
These techniques are generally in the realm of Carriers, Law Enforcement, and the Judicial System.
Yes I had a passcode, Face ID etc. I did not get an email prompting me to enter my Apple ID and password.
But then how did they get past my Face ID or 6 digit passcode?
I didn’t have any trusted numbers. But trusted devices yes. But still what use is the IMEI number if the phones cannot be tracked?
… would be able to send a code from one to be verified by the other …
Ding … my “light of understanding” as to your thought process just lit-up.
GOOD hypothesis.
You may be on to something here. As Chattanoogan mentioned, GOOD hypothesis.
Axel F.
iPhone 15 Promax stolen and removed from my device list. How is that possible?
