My iPhone was accessed through fraudulent activity and I was misled.

Access to my iPhone was obtained as a result of fraudulent actions and I was misled. Fraudsters offered me a job as a tester. To do this, a fraudster called me on Telegram, who introduced himself as a company manager. He described the working conditions, schedule and salary that they would provide me. According to him, I needed to log out of my icloud and go to his icloud, which was necessary so that I could have access to the applications that need to be tested. The fraudster gave me a login and password, under which I had to log into his profile on my iPhone to work. Once I work, according to him, I can log out of his account and go to mine. Since this is my first iPhone, and I did not know about this type of fraud, I did everything he said. We talked on the phone on Telegram and the fraudster told me to go to the settings, turn off two-factor authentication, face scanner and password from the phone, which I did and maybe something else, but I don’t remember. When I logged into this profile, there were other iPhones connected. My phone got locked and the screen showed the message "Lost iPhone, write to Telegram to unlock @kesha291 13 (RB) M beware of fakes, check the tag, there is only 1 account." I logged into Telegram from another device and asked the scammers to unblock me, to which I was redirected to another account, where they wrote that in order to get a code-password, you need to pay money. I started reading information on this issue on the Internet, where it was written that the scammers, even if you pay them, will not provide you with any password. There is correspondence with the scammers. There is a login and password that had to be entered to enter iCloud. They wrote that there is a way out - to contact Apple support. They wrote on the Internet that in order to communicate with employees, you need to change the region on the site from Belarus to the USA, which is what I did. I was connected to a chat where one employee first spoke to me, then I was transferred to another who provided a link to a form to unlock the phone. I filled everything out, provided photos of the receipt and the box. But after 1.5 days I received a message from Apple saying "We cannot fulfill your request to remove the activation lock." I bought this iPhone from an organization registered in the Republic of Belarus. The purchase took place under surveillance cameras in the organization where I work. The phone was packed. I was given a receipt. The iPhone activation date will be close in time to the date the cameras filmed it, since when I bought the phone, I put it on charge and then activated it. I bought it before my trip to Georgia to take photos of everything on a new phone. I do not believe that Apple cannot return it to me. In fact, it was stolen from me, I cannot use it! I would like to call Apple support and tell them about this in more detail so that they can make sure that it was my phone that was unlocked. But I don't speak English very well, so I chose to correspond with Apple, since then I have the opportunity to use Google Translate. I wrote the text in Russian, translated it into English and pasted it into the chat with support. A relative told me that Apple may have refused to remove the block because of the receipt. The relative said that Apple wants to see the receipt that the organization that sold me the phone received when they bought it. But according to the legislation of the Republic of Belarus, I cannot demand this receipt from the seller. What should I do? I want to continue using the phone. Despite the fact that the scammers wrote to me that it is useless to contact the police, I still wrote a statement to the police. I ask Apple to help me. I can provide a screenshot of the correspondence with the scammers, the entire necessary history of how I used the phone. Apple can see who used it and where. I can also provide the login and password under which I entered the scammers' profile. Other iPhones were connected there. The motto of Apple is safety. So find the scammers! Restore the functionality of my device. I have only used it for about 7 months. This is not fair! I asked my uncle, who knows English, to call Apple and describe the situation, but he said he would call when he has less work. This is very far away (Help me. What else should I do? They write that I can give it for parts, but I do not want to. For this they will give a small amount, it is not enough to buy a new iPhone. They also write that you can reflash, but I think that this is not fair and illegal! Therefore, I ask Apple to unlock my phone!

iPhone 15

Posted on Mar 7, 2025 5:49 AM

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4 replies

Mar 7, 2025 6:25 AM in response to VerA1102

You are not talking to Apple. This is a user forum. Apple does not participate here.


You fell for a scam. The only way to have the activation lock removed from your phone is to provide Apple with the original proof of purchase for the device from Apple or an authorized retailer.


There is no way around it. The weak link in the security chain is the human using the device. I’m not criticizing you, just stating the fact. Apple’s security is very very good, but they can not prevent you from doing something that compromises the security of your devices or accounts.



Mar 7, 2025 7:03 AM in response to VerA1102

Sorry, but an "organization registered in the Republic of Belarus" does not make a difference. There are many organizations in the US that would not qualify either. With no receipt at all there is no chance it would be unlocked.


You simply learned a valuable lesson to NEVER enter someone else's Apple Account into your phone. Communicating on an anonymous platform is the perfect place for these scams to occur as you have no idea who you are actually talking to.

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My iPhone was accessed through fraudulent activity and I was misled.

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