HT201472: If your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch is lost or stolen

Learn about If your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch is lost or stolen
Cmeiw

Q: Lost Phone

Hi all,

My iPhone was stolen randomly in France on 11th June. Right after stolen, I activated lost mode and send a message (However, its without my number as I don’t have any local contact.) I also send a wipe request at the same time.

Recently just got my phone bill and realised that the thief used my sim card to make phone calls and it cost me alot as they were all international roaming call rates.

So, I checked Find My Iphone, and saw that my Activation Lock was ON on the 15th June, however, Remote Erase is still Pending.

My questions are:

1. Why is the Activation Lock ON but the iPhone was not erased?

2. How to retreive the last Location when the only selection in Find My IPhone is Stop Erase Request.

3. Any assumptions on what happened to my lost iPhone? Is it possible that it was dismantled and parts that worth for resale are sold?

iPhone 6s Plus, iOS 9.3.2

Posted on Jul 14, 2016 1:26 PM

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Q: Lost Phone

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Meg St._Clair,Helpful

    Meg St._Clair Meg St._Clair Jul 15, 2016 11:33 AM in response to Cmeiw
    Level 9 (58,397 points)
    iPhone
    Jul 15, 2016 11:33 AM in response to Cmeiw

    If the thief turned off the phone, it would never have connected to the network to get the erase command.

     

    Your phone is gone. You are never getting it back. There's little to be gained by worrying about how many pieces it may be in and where they might be.

     

    Next time your phone gets stolen, report it to your carrier immediately so that they can disable your SIM.

  • by KiltedTim,Helpful

    KiltedTim KiltedTim Jul 15, 2016 11:33 AM in response to Cmeiw
    Level 9 (54,889 points)
    iPhone
    Jul 15, 2016 11:33 AM in response to Cmeiw

    Find My iPhone can lock the device. It can NOT prevent the SIM from being used. You need to notify your carrier in order to have service to the SIM shut down.

     

    What happened is the thief took the SIM out and put it into another phone, then ran up your bill calling all of their friends in other countries because you didn't shut the service off.

     

    What they did with your phone, we will probably never know. It's probably been stripped for parts and/or sold to some unsuspecting tourist.

     

    <Edited by Host>

  • by Cmeiw,

    Cmeiw Cmeiw Jul 15, 2016 11:30 AM in response to Meg St._Clair
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iPhone
    Jul 15, 2016 11:30 AM in response to Meg St._Clair

    Thank you for spending time to reply my question. I just find it weird that if the phone is never switched on, how can the Activation Lock activated. And if its on, why is the phone never erased completely? Purely out of curiousity and trying to understand how these things work.

     

    I did not aware of the Sim card's issue as I was over concern on the phone itself that time. Even if I am aware, I don't have any way to contact my carier as I was overseas with no telecommunication devices that is workable for me to contact my friends for help.

     

    I did aware after few days, but those calls and sms was made on the day phone got stolen. Good thing is, my phone bill is capped at a medium range.

     

    I just wonder what can they do with a phone that is going to be permanently locked, and should I remove this device from my Find My IPhone account.

     

    Thank you once again.

  • by Cmeiw,

    Cmeiw Cmeiw Jul 15, 2016 11:33 AM in response to KiltedTim
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iPhone
    Jul 15, 2016 11:33 AM in response to KiltedTim

    Thank you to you too for spending time answering my somehow pointless question. I believe my reply to Meg St. Clair has pretty much answered why I didn't get to contact the carrier at the first place. Moreover, this is my first time in life got picked pocket. Good thing I experienced it, so that I can know what to do if it happens again.

  • by KiltedTim,

    KiltedTim KiltedTim Jul 15, 2016 12:59 PM in response to Cmeiw
    Level 9 (54,889 points)
    iPhone
    Jul 15, 2016 12:59 PM in response to Cmeiw

    Cmeiw wrote:

    I just wonder what can they do with a phone that is going to be permanently locked, and should I remove this device from my Find My IPhone account.

     

    Thank you once again.

    Do NOT remove it from Find My iPhone. If you do so, the activation lock will be removed and the phone will be usable. Leave it the way it is. It's useless as long as it's activation locked.