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Level 1

13 points

I thought Apple cared?!?!?!

Recently lost an iPhone3GS - reported it lost/stolen the day it happened. Contacted AT&T AND Apple, and neither one cares or will do anything about another person using our PHONE that we have the serial number and IMEI number on.

AT&T responds - "we only provide the service" We cannot go in and deactivate the phone, even though it is our phone and someone else has put their SIM card in it. Mobile Me will only help IF the phone is on your network!!!!!!

Apple responds - We can't prevent that serial number/phone from accessing an account on iTunes. AND, they tell us we cannot get a refund of the remaining year of the iCare plan WITHOUT a copy of the ORIGINAL RECEIPT.

GO FIGURE - someone can pick up your iPhone, put their SIM card in it and start using it.......BUT - you want a refund on a product that is registered on line with Apple (with all of your personal data that you can verify - including the serial number and IMEI number), and you need a copy of the original receipt!!!!

JUST AMAZING - police report is completed, and they will have to subpoena the records from AT&T to get the person who is using our property that was lost/stolen. AT&T sent a text to the user and notified them that the phone was reported lost or stolen, but they will do nothing more.

UNBELIEVABLE!!!!

Posted on Jan 7, 2011 4:26 PM

23 replies

frankwc

Level 1

55 points

Jan 11, 2011 12:15 AM in response to _Eric_

Eric wrote:
According to this website, your mobile network provider can block the phone

http://www.gsm-security.net/faq/imei-international-mobile-equipment-identity-gsm .shtml

I guess for them (ATT&Apple) it makes sense for them not to block the stolen IMEI because ATT now gains a customer or at the very least a data package customer. Also the person who lost the phone now has to purchase another one from Apple...Win/Win for them...

deggie

Level 10

167,195 points

Jan 11, 2011 3:59 AM in response to Ziatron

Small space bar. Should read "or a"

deggie

Level 10

167,195 points

Jan 11, 2011 4:01 AM in response to frankwc

No, it makes sense not to do it because invariably some moron will sell their used iPhone to a "friend", get mad at them for some reason, then report the phone stolen and block it. Or many other similar scenarios.

CTJon

Level 1

105 points

Jan 11, 2011 5:15 AM in response to care?

You can connect to iTunes without the computer even being on a network. You do need to have an account and log in to get to purchased items or to get new things but you still need id and password. If password is stored on phone go to Apple online and change the password. Apple controls your ID's access to the store but not use of the phone. If the person who stole it attaches to his/her itunes it would still wouldn't link to your account on itunes
AT&T should disable that phone number from that phone but nothing else connected to that iPhone.

care? Author

Level 1

13 points

Jan 11, 2011 3:18 PM in response to CTJon

My thoughts exactly - it's a win/win situation for both AT&T and Apple to let someone pick up an iPhone and put their SIM card in - we did have to buy a new phone; and now the person that has it, will get a data package on it - if he/she did not already have it.

AT&T can deactivate the phone - isn't that what they do when someone doesn't pay their bill????? I asked them that, and there was silence on the other end, then a statement about needing a subpoena from the police.

We did call Verizon and they said that if it happened there, the phone would be deactivated and another person would not be able to activate it with their service. Sooooo, when our contract is up we will probably move to Verizon.

It's really frustrating that the provider is more concerned about the service rather than the stolen device!

care? Author

Level 1

13 points

Jan 11, 2011 3:23 PM in response to frankwc

Eric wrote:
According to this website, your mobile network provider can block the phone

http://www.gsm-security.net/faq/imei-international-mobile-equipment-identity-gsm .shtml

Unfortunately - this happens in the UK, but not in the US. We asked AT&T to block the IMIE number (and gave the number to them).......

😟

deggie

Level 10

167,195 points

Jan 11, 2011 4:05 PM in response to care?

If Verizon blocks phones this is certainly news to a couple of people I know.

diesel vdub

Level 7

22,178 points

Jan 11, 2011 4:20 PM in response to care?

care? wrote:
AT&T can deactivate the phone - isn't that what they do when someone doesn't pay their bill?????

No, they put a block on the account, they do not deactivate the SIM or the phone. What you are asking for is different.
It is entirely possible to take a phone that has been "deactivated" due to non payment, place another SIM card in the device and then utilize it on the network.

care? wrote:
We did call Verizon and they said that if it happened there, the phone would be deactivated and another person would not be able to activate it with their service.

This is a difference between GSM and CDMA technology. With a GSM device, the account information is on the SIM. With a CDMA device, the account information is programed into the phone. Therefore, deactivating the account would result in a deactivated phone. It would also be easier to block that device from being reactivated as it generally needs to be taken to a VZW location for activation.

With GSM phones, you can take any pay as you go SIM or post paid SIM, insert it in the device and it will work.

I really don't think you fully understand the technological differences (I certainly do not know and understand them all), but you are getting irritated with AT&T because they don't do things the way VZW does. They do not need to and simply cannot because of technology differences.

While I agree it would be nice to have IMEI blacklists, it simply does not happen with any of the major US wireless carriers.

I think if you investigate further with VZW, you will find that they do not truly block IMEI numbers.

I thought Apple cared?!?!?!