Phantom Apple ID

I just upgraded my wife from her iphone 6s to an iphone 7 plus. All went well until I attempted to take over her 6s. The dealer erased the 6s and then attempted to xfer my data from my 5c. Suddenly there appeared a mystery apple ID with an email address of "L******@yahoo.com and nobody knows where it came from. Not sure how the phone 6s had been registered to my wife's apple ID for the last two years while it was simultaneously registered to someone else's apple ID. Now I'm thinking she was sold a used phone 2 years ago by the verizon authorized retailer in the local BJ's store.

The worst part is that prior to the problem being discovered I bought out the remainder of her contract to keep our payment the same. So now I apparently own a very expensive paper weight.

I contacted apple support and submitted all of my proof of purchase info. I can only hope that they can come to my rescue.

Doing a quick google search has shown that I'm apparently not alone in having this happen.

Has anybody had a similar experience? Is it because the phone was used?

Thanks for any input.

iPhone 6s, iOS 10.3.2

Posted on Jul 26, 2017 10:26 PM

Reply
2 replies

Jul 26, 2017 10:40 PM in response to OBEWHAN

Activation Lock Problem


It requires the Apple ID and password of the previous owner. If you don't have it and cannot get it, then the device is useless to you. Return it for a refund, if you can, or take it to an Apple store for an exchange, You must be the original owner, and can produce the original sale receipt along with a photo ID.


Find My iPhone Activation Lock: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201365

Turn off Find My iPhone Activation Lock: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201441

If you can't activate your iPhone - Apple Support: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201407


In the future check first before buying second hand:

Make sure you have a look at the Lock screen

If the device has been remotely erased or put in Lost Mode by its previous owner, it is very likely that a message will be showed on the Lock screen, warning that this device was lost or stolen. If you see such a message, it should raise some flags, but don’t be alarmed quite yet, as the seller could have put the device in this state. You’ll be able to verify that in the next steps.


If there is a passcode on the device, ask the seller to type in his passcode, then proceed to step 2.


Have the seller reset the device in front of you

If this person is selling the device, then he shouldn’t have any problem agreeing to perform a complete reset. Ask the seller to go to Settings > General > Reset >Erase All Content and Settings. If the seller uses Find My iPhone, he will have to enter his Apple ID password to confirm the erase.


The erase process should take a couple minutes or so. During that time, the device’s screen will show the Apple logo and a progress bar. Wait for the reset to be completed.


If the seller doesn’t want to reset the device or is making excuses for it, then walk away.


Begin the device set up

Once the device has been reset, start going through the set up. You will have to choose the language, country, and a Wi-Fi network. At this point, you will be asked to enter your Apple ID and password. If that’s the case, then you’re safe to buy the device.


However, if you see a Acitave iPhone" message asking for the previous owner’s Apple ID and password, or a message saying this device was lost and erased, then you know something is wrong. Ask the seller to enter his Apple ID and password. If he’s unable to get past this screen, then just walk away as this is a clear sign this device was either found or stolen.

Jul 26, 2017 11:56 PM in response to Saifan Pilot

The phone was purchased 2 years ago as NEW from an authorized verizon retailer. It was sealed in it's original packaging when we received it. Presumably there was no previous owner. It was then setup by the verizon rep and registered to my wife's apple id and she's been using it since then. Only after it had been erased today by the verizon rep so that I could acquire an use it did the mystery id show up. Why wouldn't that id have shown up when the phone was originally setup for my wife 2 years ago.

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Phantom Apple ID

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