fishklr1 wrote:
Now the devices state that they have been reported as lost and erased. Now the devices require this other persons ICloud info to get into. Apple has been shown proof that the devices belong to me, but they state that there is nothing they can do.
As far as I know, there is no way to remotely change the Apple ID used to register an iPhone or iPad. Sounds like what has actually happened is that your Apple ID has been hacked, modified and then used to lock your devices.
Apple has taken a very hard line on iOS device theft. Devices that have been locked by their associated Apple ID cannot be unlocked without the password for that Apple ID. Apple has also been bitten by lax security precautions in the past that allowed people to gain control of other people's Apple IDs by convincing an Apple tech to give them access. As a result, they have changed how they handle Apple IDs. Apple's increased security on these two fronts have been almost universally praised. Unfortunately, this increased security is not working in your favor at this moment.
Here's the problem... if a hacker gains control of your Apple ID for long enough, they can literally make it impossible for you to ever regain control of it. (This can only be done if you have not secured your Apple ID with two-factor authentication, and are using the substantially weaker security of "security questions." Further, the act of hacking your Apple ID requires something like a weak password or easily-guessed security questions, or an associated e-mail with those same flaws.) Once they've done this, they can then permanently disable your iOS devices.
It's understandable that you're upset by this. However, the Apple techs are being completely honest with you: there is nothing they can do. You are not the first to have this problem, and won't be the last.
This is why you need to pay close attention to security with regard to all your online accounts, and your Apple ID in particular. There would have been signs that your Apple ID was being hacked. You may not have recognized them as such, but certainly should have recognized that they were unusual, and should have acted quickly. I say this not to rub salt in the wound, but to point out that you need to be aware of these kinds of things with ALL online accounts in the future.
