Stolen iPhone 12, currently offline, find my iPhone is on and giving location updates

A word of warning: If you get a message from “Apple” saying your phone has been found, DO NOT click on a link in it. The message is from the criminal that has your phone, and wants you to log in to a fake website and thus give away your Apple ID and password so the activation lock can be removed.

See this support article→If your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch is lost or stolen - Apple Support

PhoneThiefsSuck wrote:

If my IPhone 12 was stolen last night and I put in lost mode this morning, can the thief just replace my SIM card and now use it as their own?

Replace the sim card yes, use it as their own no as they will run into this Activation Lock for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support

As Raz correctly pointed-out, no one will be able to use your phone due to Activation Lock …

… but ONLY as long as the phone remains “on” your AppleID.

So while you have disabled - will probably eventually “erase” your phone …

… do NOT “remove” it from your AppleID.

Keep it a “paperweight”

Mrokarcedz wrote:

Thank you. That’s reassuring. A follow up question...

the “mark as lost” is still showing pending. Is that because they powered it down and have yet to turn back on yet?

if it’s off, how am I still getting location updates every 20 - 30 minutes?

Yes phone needs to be connected to wifi or cellular data in order for the marked as lost to work.

I don't know why you're getting updated location, if your device is powered off.

[Personal Information Edited by Moderator]

I suspect that the behavior you’re observing is caused by your phone being “powered on” but NOT on a network where it can communicate “out”

by itself …

… but it IS near other Apple devices which CAN communicate. (e.g. via WiFi)

Apple terms this offline finding and it uses Bluetooth and the networked “cloud” of millions of Apple devices to relay the the location of off-network (but still

”on”) devices.

(It’s also how AirTags are “found” when they’re not near your own devices)

No, why would you think that? Some people put contact information on their “lost” message, which makes it easy to contact them. But the other possibility is the thief can just transfer the SIM to another phone and find out what the phone’s number is (or was). That’s one reason to have a SIM PIN.

VERY sound advice!

Chattanoogan wrote:

VERY sound advice!

Yes, that’s a very common scam. There have been two threads since yesterday from users who unfortunately fell for it. The message can be very convincing.

Yes, I’ve been watching those of late.

Do you suspect that those user’s device passcodes were either mis-set or otherwise compromised?

Doh! Of course, thanks.

You’re welcome. And thank you for your contributions in ASC.

Thanks.

Although I learn far more than I contribute.