Found 3g!!!

[skidmatic]

Hello,

My father was out walking and found a black 3g iphone. We put ads on the local craigslist, and posted flyers on the light posts of the parking lot that he found it in. We said that someone had found an Iphone and to call (at our number) and tell us what model and what image was on the home screen when you unlock it and what name it was under, like "steve's iphone". A few people called but none got it wright (scammers out there). We also called the police but they seemed uninterested, and would probably snag it for themselves.

So after a week it is legaly mine, and it's been ten days. If someone came forward and identified it I would give it back. So I guess I would like to use it. It has a password and now says "iphone disabled" Can I use quickpwn or something like that to restore the iphone? I have At&t for my Moto Q 9h global ,so my account should be fine for an iphone. I have a 2g touch also.


If you are going to say this is BS and accuse me of stealing it don't bother wasting you time, also it is slander.

[chrismmm]

why do u feel so guilty about it? Jailbreak it and unlock and get on with life!

[psylichon]

So after a week it is legaly mine....
If you are going to say this is BS and accuse me of stealing it don't bother wasting you time, also it is slander.

Ok, I won't say this is BS, because I wouldn't want to slander you. However, I think you may be unclear on the law. Why not just take it back to AT&T or Apple so they can pair it up with the original owner?

[skidmatic]

Ok, I won't say this is BS, because I wouldn't want to slander you. However, I think you may be unclear on the law. Why not just take it back to AT&T or Apple so they can pair it up with the original owner?


Good point.

The nearest Apple store is like an hour and a half away. AT&T dose not have sufficient coverage here, central MI. So there are not many kiosks around, I got my phone back in Champaign when I was in College.



Can you jailbrake a locked out phone?

[chrismmm]

use it or sell it!

[psylichon]

You cannot get around the passcode. Perhaps call the closest AT&T store near to you. They may even cover shipping, I don't know. All I know is it's not worth trying to sell it or use it at this point.

[chrismmm]

i will give u a hundred bucks for it! pm me.

[styfle]

Did you try double tapping the home button to try to get to the ipod?
And wouldn't the person who lost it try calling you on the iphone itself? I mean, it is activated right?

[skidmatic]

I tried the double tap thing, but it didn't work. I also tried quickpwn, but it said that it didn't work with the firmware I had. In the time that I have had it, it was always deactivated. When I pop in my sim it says AT&T 3g, and it will recieve calls.

[Hawk]

the reason it says deactivated is because it was probably a corporate phone and as soon as it was reported missing, they wiped it and killed it.

[skidmatic]

Is there life after death? Or is that just for TuPac?

It got that way buy entering in wrong passcodes.

[psylichon]

Yeah, it's designed that way. You're out of luck with reviving it for your own use.

[skidmatic]

c'est la vi

[danipoak]

why do u feel so guilty about it? Jailbreak it and unlock and get on with life!

Why do you insist on being dishonest?

[Londonrockz568]

LOL at the posts in this thread.

The phone is locked, you are F'd in the A...there is no workaround, there is no way to restore around it, jailbreak around it, exploit around it.

The smartest thing to do, would be to either take it to Apple so they can use the Serial number and pair it with the AT&T account holders name. They have the billing address of the owner (you need for credit check and a billing address) so they can attempt to contact, or send the phone via mail or even send an email.

Other than that, enjoy your paperweight.

There is no such thing as finders keepers these days. With so much information on anyone online/ in various places its not super hard to contact sum1.

Mods come close this thread.

[styfle]

You guys seriously think that there's no finders keepers?
If I lost my phone the first thing I would do is call it. I would try to contact the person that found my phone, but it appears that the person who lost it doesn't care. After a week I would keep it.

[acosmichippo]

You guys seriously think that there's no finders keepers?
If I lost my phone the first thing I would do is call it. I would try to contact the person that found my phone, but it appears that the person who lost it doesn't care. After a week I would keep it.

it certainly appears that way...

[Ezekiel2517]

LOL at the posts in this thread.

The phone is locked, you are F'd in the A...there is no workaround, there is no way to restore around it, jailbreak around it, exploit around it.

The smartest thing to do, would be to either take it to Apple so they can use the Serial number and pair it with the AT&T account holders name. They have the billing address of the owner (you need for credit check and a billing address) so they can attempt to contact, or send the phone via mail or even send an email.

Other than that, enjoy your paperweight.

There is no such thing as finders keepers these days. With so much information on anyone online/ in various places its not super hard to contact sum1.

Mods come close this thread.

wait... you cant even restore it? thats no good... :frown:

[Quake97]

the reason it says deactivated is because it was probably a corporate phone and as soon as it was reported missing, they wiped it and killed it.

You can kill an iPhone? I wasn't aware of that. Exchange lets you wipe it, but it just factory resets the phone. The whole point of the wipe is to get off private/sensitive data.

Joe

[adnurahs]

Wow! This is sad. Just take it to AT&T. You know, do the right thing. Good Karma and all, but besides that. Imagine if it were you who lost it. You'd want the finder to do the right thing.

My husband's phone was lost/stolen. The IDIOT!! Who found it on the bus should have taken it to the bus driver and just given it to him. Then it would have been turned in and my husband whould have had it back, but NO! The IDIOT who found it decided, ooooh I got something and he kept it. He was and is too stupid to know what to do with it. WHAT AN IDIOT!! My husband called the phone and he answered, and professed, "Your phone is locked!" Demanding the pass code so he could ublock it. The guy said he was in high school, and he would return it. My husband offered him a reward of $50. The guy said okay meet me here, he never met him and now he's stuck with a (Considered) STOLEN phone as per the police and the police reports as well as AT&T and Apple are concerned. If this phone turns up there will be charges and if possible an arrest. It's not worth keeping something that isn't your's thinking you actually have something when in actuality you do not.

[acosmichippo]

Well, to be fair, a bus driver is the last person I'd hand in a missing iPhone to.

[Youngbinks]

The bus drivers in Gainesville aren't the brightest of people (not all of course) and I don't know how many of them would even recognize an iPhone.

That being said, try and return the phone. If it was yours you would want someone to do the same.

[Tug]

Wow! This is sad. Just take it to AT&T. You know, do the right thing. Good Karma and all, but besides that. Imagine if it were you who lost it. You'd want the finder to do the right thing.

My husband's phone was lost/stolen. The IDIOT!! Who found it on the bus should have taken it to the bus driver and just given it to him. Then it would have been turned in and my husband whould have had it back, but NO! The IDIOT who found it decided, ooooh I got something and he kept it. He was and is too stupid to know what to do with it. WHAT AN IDIOT!! My husband called the phone and he answered, and professed, "Your phone is locked!" Demanding the pass code so he could ublock it. The guy said he was in high school, and he would return it. My husband offered him a reward of $50. The guy said okay meet me here, he never met him and now he's stuck with a (Considered) STOLEN phone as per the police and the police reports as well as AT&T and Apple are concerned. If this phone turns up there will be charges and if possible an arrest. It's not worth keeping something that isn't your's thinking you actually have something when in actuality you do not.

I can understand your frustration but what do you think is going to actually happen to the person who gets caught trying to activate your husbands phone? Chances are the person who tries to activate it illegally knows the ins and outs of the judicial system and will know how to weasel their way out of any real serious trouble.

To the OP, all you had to do is contact either Apple or AT&T they would have made arrangements to have the phone mailed back to them, end of story.

[adnurahs]

I can understand your frustration but what do you think is going to actually happen to the person who gets caught trying to activate your husbands phone? Chances are the person who tries to activate it illegally knows the ins and outs of the judicial system and will know how to weasel their way out of any real serious trouble

Hi Youngbinks!! How R U?!?!? Nah, the person who has the phone is a child and they know nothing of the ins and outs of the judicial system. When my husband called the phone, they asked my husband for the passcode for Gods Sakes. They are, in a word, STUPID! We have a flag on the account with AT&T as well as Apple. If the person tries to go in, there is a note on the account with that serieal number that the phone was stolen, not sold or gifted, stolen. We asked them to put a further note to call us at my number or my husbands number to alert us if someone has tried to activate it. Now if they do it that would be great. What they really do is anyones guess. I don't know and don't care. My husband bought another phone at the promotional price which was awesome because the Manager at the Apple Store did not have to do that. But he did and that was great.

If this phone is activated we were told by the police that we can have the activatee arrested because we have the police report with all the info on it including the serial number. All it takes is for them to activate it or sell it and that person try to activate it. The sold to person can take up the info on who sold it to them with the cops. So, according to the police that we dealt with, not according to me, there is legal action that can be taken.

This person more than likely will not get caught. They have a brick and we have a better experience for it. We know to make sure the phone has the password on at all times with the option to erase the phone after 10 failed attempts.

We know that Apple has nothing in place for when things like this happen, but with my husbands persuasiveness, the flag is on the account and AT&T as well as Apple knows about it. I seriously doubt that the phone with the serial number on it that has been flagged as stolen will have a chance to be legitamately activated. They can jaiilbreak and or sell and or do whatever they want with the phone.

[adnurahs]

Well, to be fair, a bus driver is the last person I'd hand in a missing iPhone to.

I considered that, to be fair, but the drivers are responsible. If they get merchandise and don't turn it in and there is a follow up on it, then they can get fired, at least here in New Jersey. If you find it and you turn it in then it is not your problem any more. If the driver gets crafty then its up to the person who lost it to back track, like my husband did. He had the driver search the area where he was sitting (only 10 minutes after he got off - so a lot of time did not pass and according to the other passengers (3 total) there was no one else who sat in that seat but my husband and the thief) and the other passengers gave a detailed description of the person who had his seat after he got off. This is guy (child) did the wrong thing and there are three people who saw him and can Id him. If he just gave it back to the driver then all would have been fine. He's such an IDIOT!

[iMeth]

I considered that, to be fair, but the drivers are responsible. If they get merchandise and don't turn it in and there is a follow up on it, then they can get fired, at least here in New Jersey. If you find it and you turn it in then it is not your problem any more. If the driver gets crafty then its up to the person who lost it to back track, like my husband did. He had the driver search the area where he was sitting (only 10 minutes after he got off - so a lot of time did not pass and according to the other passengers (3 total) there was no one else who sat in that seat but my husband and the thief) and the other passengers gave a detailed description of the person who had his seat after he got off. This is guy (child) did the wrong thing and there are three people who saw him and can Id him. If he just gave it back to the driver then all would have been fine. He's such an IDIOT!


your also an IDIOT because I doubt there will be charges and arrests made for this item...

[adnurahs]

your also an IDIOT because I doubt there will be charges and arrests made for this item...


No, I'm not an IDIOT. I am a person who has taken the time to consult with the authorities on this matter. I have my police report and I have my witnesses, so I'm pretty good. If I found a phone I would turn it in. Your doubts are just what you said they are.

I have no doubt. If the person is found there will be repercussions the person, child, IDIOT will have to deal with. If not that is fine too. They have a brick.

So, sir, I am not an IDIOT. LOL!! :angry:

[psylichon]

Infraction given. Do not insult other members. Debate the idea and do not attack the person. It's really simple.

[Tug]

No, I'm not an IDIOT. I am a person who has taken the time to consult with the authorities on this matter. I have my police report and I have my witnesses, so I'm pretty good. If I found a phone I would turn it in. Your doubts are just what you said they are.

I have no doubt. If the person is found there will be repercussions the person, child, IDIOT will have to deal with. If not that is fine too. They have a brick.

So, sir, I am not an IDIOT. LOL!! :angry:

Adnurah not here to insult as we are getting off topic but if the person is a "child" what do you think the authorities are going to actually do to him/her? Slap on the hand, call their parents and send them on their way.

[adnurahs]

Adnurah not here to insult as we are getting off topic but if the person is a "child" what do you think the authorities are going to actually do to him/her? Slap on the hand, call their parents and send them on their way.

Hi Tug: Thanks for the question. As I am not a criminal I could not tell you what happens to peole who are caught with stolen property.

The witnesses said he appears to have been in his 20's. When my husband spoke to him he said he was in high school. My husband said he sounded older than that.

If he is of age and gets caught with stolen property, he will be dealt with accordingly, if he is underage and gets caught with stolen property, I am confident that he will be dealt with appropriately. What that will entail, I have no idea. I don't wish to guess or speculate. I have no idea if this person has priors or has been through the system. All of that will come into account.

I don't wish to anger people who are of the believe that this is just so cut and dry. When you are persistant and you follow through, the correct things can happen. I have all the confidence that he will surface sooner or later and when he does he will be dealt with whatever that may be.

[Emerica]

Any child over the age of 12 years old can be convicted of a crime in juvenile an domestic court and considering the price of the item in question as well as the knowledge of stolen property will result in a nice secure detention facility. Not willing to return it with the price will make it larceny. :) Just clearing it up. I hope good things come of it, how much did you get on the phone at promotional price?

For skidmatic, I'd say call up Apple or AT&T.. but I'm doubtful you'll get far with keeping it.

[styfle]

Ok so what have we learned here? Someone looses a phone...they call it to get it back. If they never do that they obviously don't want the phone. So back to the reason this thread was created, I think skidmatic (http://www.everythingicafe.com/forum/members/skidmatic.html) should keep the phone even though theres not much he can do with it.

[MrEous]

Just curious but there was no 'Mom' or 'Wife' or other names that would give you an idea of the original owner? I'd call one of those numbers and ask if the user lost their iphone...maybe there's a reward.

Regardless if they called it or not...the service was turned off a few days later so maybe they didn't know till then.

[Saverino]

Just curious but there was no 'Mom' or 'Wife' or other names that would give you an idea of the original owner? I'd call one of those numbers and ask if the user lost their iphone...maybe there's a reward.

Regardless if they called it or not...the service was turned off a few days later so maybe they didn't know till then.

The phone is locked.

[MrEous]

The phone is locked.
That's right. I more or less meant to call when he first found it...


What about getting the SIM card out and contacting AT&T to report a found iphone??

[adnurahs]

Any child over the age of 12 years old can be convicted of a crime in juvenile an domestic court and considering the price of the item in question as well as the knowledge of stolen property will result in a nice secure detention facility. Not willing to return it with the price will make it larceny. :) Just clearing it up. I hope good things come of it, how much did you get on the phone at promotional price?

For skidmatic, I'd say call up Apple or AT&T.. but I'm doubtful you'll get far with keeping it.

Thanx Emerica!! After telling the Manager at the Apple Store the Story and him talking with other Managers, he agreed to just give my husband the phone for the promotional $299. price he paid in July. We had the police report and everything but they didn't even look at it. He thought the story was bad and he as well as the others hates how people can be with the iPhone and he felt bad so he gave us the original price. We are so happy about that. We can't afford the retail and it wasn't like we weren't buying another phone. THey were great! It was really a relief for us.

[glsda]

Adnurahs what goes around comes around so you have to be doing something right and I am happy for you and your husband, Even at the promo price $299 is a lot of money.

[Napoleon_PhoneApart]

Earl Hickey would be proud of you, adnurahs. :smile:

[danipoak]

your also an IDIOT because I doubt there will be charges and arrests made for this item...

Can we please go back to elementary school and learn the difference between "your" and "you're". It really is not all that complicated and makes you look like less of a jackass.

[Londonrockz568]

wait... you cant even restore it? thats no good... :frown:

No restore on a locked phone is a great measure. If its locked, its locked for a reason...and thats to keep you out. No workarounds (via restoring to bypass the lock) and all the exploits that i know of have been patched over granted the phone is 2.2.1 firmware.

If a phone is locked, there is NOTHING you can do but enjoy looking at it, maybe clean it, cuddle with it, use it as a mirror, or use it as a paperweight. Some could even go as far as to "profile" or pose like they have an iphone even tho they know it dosent work.

A locked phone connected to itunes wont do anything. U cant restore it, jailbreak it, tether it etc. No calling out, no ipod(i think)... no nothing. The only thing it will do is connect to edge, or 3g, receive calls and charge. Mistype the passcode a few times and i think the phone memory dumps itself and you're SOL.

[Hawk]

No restore on a locked phone is a great measure. If its locked, its locked for a reason...and thats to keep you out. No workarounds (via restoring to bypass the lock) and all the exploits that i know of have been patched over granted the phone is 2.2.1 firmware.

If a phone is locked, there is NOTHING you can do but enjoy looking at it, maybe clean it, cuddle with it, use it as a mirror, or use it as a paperweight. Some could even go as far as to "profile" or pose like they have an iphone even tho they know it dosent work.

A locked phone connected to itunes wont do anything. U cant restore it, jailbreak it, tether it etc. No calling out, no ipod(i think)... no nothing. The only thing it will do is connect to edge, or 3g, receive calls and charge. Mistype the passcode a few times and i think the phone memory dumps itself and you're SOL.
Playing devil's advocate for a moment...
So you cannot even put the phone in DFU mode and restore?

[iMeth]

Infraction given. Do not insult other members. Debate the idea and do not attack the person. It's really simple.


just cause they made you mod... you don't have to exposed it.... just simply delete my post and warn me... no need to be all "superman":angry: about it..

[adnurahs]

Adnurahs what goes around comes around so you have to be doing something right and I am happy for you and your husband, Even at the promo price $299 is a lot of money.

Yes! It's hard when something like this happens and especially when it could have been easier if the person just returned it. I just hope the person learns for the next time. If there is one.

The promo price is high but we were fortunate we were not charged the retail price. The Manager was awesome we were very happy to have had saved a few hundred on that.

Thanks for the kind words. :laugh2:

[Napoleon_PhoneApart]

just cause they made you mod... you don't have to exposed it.... just simply delete my post and warn me... no need to be all "superman":angry: about it..

To be fair, you're not the only one to be warned publicly. Being warned in public discourages other users from doing the same thing.

[adnurahs]

Earl Hickey would be proud of you, adnurahs. :smile:

WOW!! Yes!! :laugh2: Earl Hickey would be very proud of me!! It's all about Karma honey and what goes around does come around, sometimes faster than expected!! :smile:

But back to the subject at hand,

I think the best way to protect your phone is to have a passcode on it and have the feature to earase the phone after 10 failed password attempts. This way at least your info is safe.

Google has a new app that is not available for the iPhone yet that tracks friends through GPS maybe you can track your phone with it too. There may be more information on this app the sooner its available for the iphone. I read a snipit somewhere about it. I think it was on ilounge or something. Seems like a worthwhile app if it can possibly help in a situation like loosing your phone.

[iMeth]

To be fair, you're not the only one to be warned publicly. Being warned in public discourages other users from doing the same thing.


nap sorry but he has a thing towards me... just check your other posts... someone called another member moron and he was in that post but doesn't do thing about it....

before this guy was a mod he was out to get me... it's alright I don't post much here anyways..:tounge:

[danipoak]

just cause they made you mod... you don't have to exposed it.... just simply delete my post and warn me... no need to be all "superman":angry: about it..

Are you from America? Your English sucks...

[Ramesh]

You have to be able to restore the phone and setup as new. Simply setting up a passcode keeps people from your data, not your phone. If you wipe it, the data is gone. The passcode is part of your setting that is within your back up. It's no different than your phone remembering your wifi password after a restore from back up. If you setup as a new phone - you have to enter all the info in again. IMO, a simple restore should bypass the passcode.

[psylichon]

Are you from America? Your English sucks...

Unnecessary. See, now I have to make an example out of you, or else iMeth will get mad. Being a moderator can be highly annoying at times!

iMeth, I have nothing against you. Stick to the forum rules and you and I will have no issues at all. I don't catch every remark that is made, so if you find an offensive post that was missed by the moderators, feel free to report it. But please, let's avoid dramatics, shall we?

And I don't really understand why this discussion is continuing. I don't want to lock it, but do we really want to help the OP in his mission to keep property that doesn't belong to him? I don't.

[CBRfanatic]

DFU Mode > Restore > Jailbreak > Use it....simple as that, ive done it for a few friends who have come across iPhones in these busy streets of NYC, and it works fine.

[acosmichippo]

it doesn't surprise me that people do this, but that they openly admit it does.

[psylichon]

[sigh] As they say, you can't legislate morality.

[MrMike6by9]

I have to admit that some of the attitudes behind some of the posts sadden me. I hope we can eventually become better people and be willing to think of the harm that is done to others when we fail to consider that one's inherent humanity is no more or less than our own.
YMMV

[Youngbinks]

[sigh] As they say, you can't legislate morality.

Just imagine if you could.

I say we call in
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p91/youngbinks/judge_dredd_ver1.jpg

[Hawk]

Here in Georgia, we have a Judge Mallas (pronounced Malice)

[Londonrockz568]

Playing devil's advocate for a moment...
So you cannot even put the phone in DFU mode and restore?

lol, i never thought of that. So i decided to give it a try. I backed up, then restored like new. Made a simple 1234 passcode and turned off the phone. Put it into dfu, itunes found it, restored and the device let me in, granted i didnt have any of my information/music/contacts/sms/email etc...altho my itunes/appstore username/password was still there.

I restored, back to my backup, and rejailbroke and im back to normal. Just testing the whole passcode bypass so u guys can know.

The passcode only protects information, it doesn't imobilize the phone as i originally thought.

So what have we learned today?
-Type the passcode wrong a few times and all info on the phone is erased.
-You can bypass a phones passcode by DFU restoring, altho u will have no info essentially the device is "fresh".
-Now that people know this, im sure Apple will test it and patch it somehow...because now u can obtain a passlocked phone dfu restore it, pop in a SIM and it will work. Only the Itunes name/password to buy apps will remain.

[Plastikfear]

lol, i never thought of that. So i decided to give it a try. I backed up, then restored like new. Made a simple 1234 passcode and turned off the phone. Put it into dfu, itunes found it, restored and the device let me in, granted i didnt have any of my information/music/contacts/sms/email etc...altho my itunes/appstore username/password was still there.


So what have we learned today?
-Type the passcode wrong a few times and all info on the phone is erased.


Blackberries are like this, too. Type the wrong passcode in like 10 times then it erases all data and its like a new, fresh factory restored phone.

[Ramesh]

lol, i never thought of that. So i decided to give it a try. I backed up, then restored like new. Made a simple 1234 passcode and turned off the phone. Put it into dfu, itunes found it, restored and the device let me in, granted i didnt have any of my information/music/contacts/sms/email etc...altho my itunes/appstore username/password was still there.

I restored, back to my backup, and rejailbroke and im back to normal. Just testing the whole passcode bypass so u guys can know.

The passcode only protects information, it doesn't imobilize the phone as i originally thought.

So what have we learned today?
-Type the passcode wrong a few times and all info on the phone is erased.
-You can bypass a phones passcode by DFU restoring, altho u will have no info essentially the device is "fresh".
-Now that people know this, im sure Apple will test it and patch it somehow...because now u can obtain a passlocked phone dfu restore it, pop in a SIM and it will work. Only the Itunes name/password to buy apps will remain.

lol. This is exactly what I said with less words. ;) This isn't a "bug". This is done on purpose. Imagine you have an idiot friends who puts a passcode on your phone, or anyone for that matter. How pissed would you be if your $300 device was now useless?

[acosmichippo]

i think the way it used to work for ipods was if you needed to remove the password, it HAD to be connected to the iTunes it was synced with.

i don't understand why that can't do it like that...

[Londonrockz568]

Either way i make sure my phone is always with me. Even in the house (lol dog) or at a party (ppls i dunno) etc.

Its like an ocd thing, i always put it in my right jeans pocket, and if its not there i instantly like start having a panic attack or that sinking feeling of "omfg! where is my phone O_o"

[ugotpwned5]

Just connect the locked phone to Itunes. Do the sequence of button pressing to get it in DFU and restore and Update and the phone is brand spankin new. Don't feel bad about taking somebody elses lost phone. Its life.!

[Napoleon_PhoneApart]

Just connect the locked phone to Itunes. Do the sequence of button pressing to get it in DFU and restore and Update and the phone is brand spankin new. Don't feel bad about taking somebody elses lost phone. Its life.!

As long as you take reasonable steps to locate the owner, right?

[acosmichippo]

Except that reasonable steps would not leave him with a lost iPhone in his posession at all.

[kunfuzious]

Agreed. The OP demonstrated he was happy to have a "free" device with absolutely zero interest on returning it the owner...
I wonder if it was actually found to begin with and just simply stolen?

[danipoak]

The world has adopted such a terrible "it's all about me" attitude it makes me sick.

[Napoleon_PhoneApart]

Except that reasonable steps would not leave him with a lost iPhone in his posession at all.

I'm not sure I get your point.

[Emerica]

^ That if the OP made any try to get it back to the owner of the iPhone, say give it to AT&T or Apple and get the billing address from the serial and somehow get it to them would leave the OP without the iPhone. I'm sure either of those options would leave him empty handed.

[adnurahs]

^ That if the OP made any try to get it back to the owner of the iPhone, say give it to AT&T or Apple and get the billing address from the serial and somehow get it to them would leave the OP without the iPhone. I'm sure either of those options would leave him empty handed.

Emerica! How R U? While reading through this it has dawned on me why I even was interested in getting the iPhone in the first place. I work in an office. It's a busy, crowded, lots of people in and lots of people all over the place type of facility, 9 floors to be exact. Well, last June, I was walking in the hall and a visitor to the building (I knew this because he was dressed casual and didn't know where he was going.) came out of the men's room and flagged me down. I said, "Hi, may I help you?" He holds up an iPhone (1st generation) and says, "I found this in the bathroom. Can you track down who it belongs to?"(honest dude, he could have kept it and left the building - no one would have known:foot:) I took it (Skeeving a little cause it did come out of the bathroom :gasp:) and I assured him i would find who it belonged to. I went back to my office and started messing with it. Right off, It was so much fun!! There was no ID that i could find so i went to the phone book and started to mess around there. I found a number marked home. I called it from the phone a teenaged boy answered the phone and said "Hi dad what is it now. I'm doing what you told me." I was like ooookay!!!! I introduced myself and told him the phone was found in the mens room here at work and i had no idea who it belonged to. The boy professed his thanks and that he and his mom had just gotten that phone for his dad for his birthday that was the week before. He was so happy. He got his mom on the line and she conferenced in me and the owner. A few minutes later the guy appears at my office door. He was so happy and he didn't even realize he lost it in the mens room. He was in a wheel chair and had already enough to do in the mens room so loosing the phone in there was like not surprising to him. He too was elated the family thanked me for my honesty. When the wife and son came to visit the father a few weeks later they came to thank me in person. It was nice.

I say all that to say, that is how i got involved with getting the new 3G. After tinkering with his phone i fell in love with it and professed to my husband we were going to buy this when the new one came out.

I can't believe i forgot about that little introduction to the iPhone world. It was an overall good experience that lead me to get to know the iPhone and make the decision to cross over into the iworld :laugh2:.

I know that was a long story, but i wanted to share it. I can't believe i forgot it. It's not surprising though. Too much has happened.

I wish most folks would just pause and think, what if this were mine in the hand of someone else? I would want them to do the right thing.

[Londonrockz568]

Thats great and all, but not everyone lives in such a nice world.

He lost it in a corporate setting, on the same floor, so im pretty sure that if you decided to keep it and word got out that a co-worker lost his iphone and u suddenly have one...well things wouldnt be to great.

Clearly, the OP "found" the phone with a clear intention of not giving it back...so yes he stole it.

Close this thread please.

[adnurahs]

Thats great and all, but not everyone lives in such a nice world.

He lost it in a corporate setting, on the same floor, so im pretty sure that if you decided to keep it and word got out that a co-worker lost his iphone and u suddenly have one...well things wouldnt be to great.

Clearly, the OP "found" the phone with a clear intention of not giving it back...so yes he stole it.

Close this thread please.

Sorry Londonrockz. I'm not trying to anger anyone. I just wanted to share why i ever even got started with the iPhone. Actually his office was on another floor he just had a meeting on my floor. I didn't mention that. but you are correct. It is an office setting and we don't live in such a nice world at all.

Again Londonrockz, I wasn't trying to piss anyone off or anything.

[acosmichippo]

I'm not sure I get your point.


As Emeica said, all he had to do was call an apple or Att store. They would know who it was registered to and how to get it back to them.

[glsda]

Sorry Londonrockz. I'm not trying to anger anyone. I just wanted to share why i ever even got started with the iPhone. Actually his office was on another floor he just had a meeting on my floor. I didn't mention that. but you are correct. It is an office setting and we don't live in such a nice world at all.

Again Londonrockz, I wasn't trying to piss anyone off or anything.


Adnurahs, Maybe '...we don't live in such a nice world at all.' but thanks for trying to make it a little better.:2cool:

[Ramesh]

As Emeica said, all he had to do was call an apple or Att store. They would know who it was registered to and how to get it back to them.

everyone keeps saying this. this is not true. Apple will not help you return a stolen phone. They are able to, but they don't. Not to say it's not worth a try - you might get a helpful employee. I know a few Apple store employees and they confirmed that they don't help return ipods, iphones, computers, etc. How much wasted time would that be for Apple?

As for ATT, I think they only disable. I'm not sure they help return phones or not.

I'm sure of my info about Apple, but not so much at ATT.

[Plastikfear]

well a co-worker of mine's child had their iPod stolen and somehow the Police were able to trace the serial # that was registered with iTunes and found their phone #, called them, and returned the kid's iPod. A classmate had stolen it. So its possible. Its all about the serial #.

[acosmichippo]

How much wasted time would that be for Apple?

5 minutes?

i can't say for sure as i have not found myself in that situation, but surely they would at least look up the serial number and give the person a call.

If they don't, that's a WHOLE other discussion...

[Ramesh]

well a co-worker of mine's child had their iPod stolen and somehow the Police were able to trace the serial # that was registered with iTunes and found their phone #, called them, and returned the kid's iPod. A classmate had stolen it. So its possible. Its all about the serial #.

I agree - It's possible, but also very, VERY rare.

5 minutes?

i can't say for sure as i have not found myself in that situation, but surely they would at least look up the serial number and give the person a call.

If they don't, that's a WHOLE other discussion...

5 Minutes - per customer. How many iPods, Laptops, iPhones, etc are stolen every day? Hippo - you're one to understand logic, when most here don't. Surely you see how this would be a taxing situation for Apple.

This is part of what I was basing this on, along with my buddies who work at the Apple store:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20078671/

It was a special that ran a couple years ago. Anyway, my point isn't that it can't be done, but simply that it won't be done by Apple.

[acosmichippo]

i don't know how many ipods/iphones are lost... but i know only a small fraction end up in honest hands... and even fewer than that would have the common sense to call apple or ATT.

Anyway, i only skimmed the article you linked-to, but it looked like it was about stolen or completely lost ipods... which is quite a different story than finding the owner of a found ipod/iphone.

[danipoak]

I agree - It's possible, but also very, VERY rare.



5 Minutes - per customer. How many iPods, Laptops, iPhones, etc are stolen every day? Hippo - you're one to understand logic, when most here don't. Surely you see how this would be a taxing situation for Apple.

This is part of what I was basing this on, along with my buddies who work at the Apple store:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20078671/

It was a special that ran a couple years ago. Anyway, my point isn't that it can't be done, but simply that it won't be done by Apple.

I read a fair amount of that article, it didn't really apply to the situation. It was about gadgets that were straight up stolen, not turned into the store. Acosmichippo has a point, a very small fraction of those found would get turned into an Apple/AT&t store anyways. I know both stores have their busy times but Apple stores are always over staffed, I see too many employees sitting on their asses. They could get up and spend 5 minutes tracking them down. And I know AT&T has their down times. How many people buy phones at 10:15am on a Tuesday morning?

[Ramesh]

I read a fair amount of that article, it didn't really apply to the situation. It was about gadgets that were straight up stolen, not turned into the store. Acosmichippo has a point, a very small fraction of those found would get turned into an Apple/AT&t store anyways. I know both stores have their busy times but Apple stores are always over staffed, I see too many employees sitting on their asses. They could get up and spend 5 minutes tracking them down. And I know AT&T has their down times. How many people buy phones at 10:15am on a Tuesday morning?

I agree with that mostly. It's a great theory - but will it happen? No. That is the sad truth.

[acosmichippo]

well, it's pointless to argue about what apple/att will or won't do. The point is, calling them about a recovered iphone is a reasonable and responsible thing to do.

[Ramesh]

well, it's pointless to argue about what apple/att will or won't do. The point is, calling them about a recovered iphone is a reasonable and responsible thing to do.

And if they won't help? What do you do then, assuming there's a passcode preventing you from calling their contacts?

[acosmichippo]

what's your point?

if you're looking for an admission that there are some circumstances where one could justifiably keep a lost iphone, then fine. IF it's passcode locked, and IF Apple AND ATT won't help you, and IF there's no decent authority to turn it into at the place where it was found, then fine. do with it as you please.

but that is a lot of "if"s.

[Londonrockz568]

everyone keeps saying this. this is not true. Apple will not help you return a stolen phone. They are able to, but they don't. Not to say it's not worth a try - you might get a helpful employee. I know a few Apple store employees and they confirmed that they don't help return ipods, iphones, computers, etc. How much wasted time would that be for Apple?

As for ATT, I think they only disable. I'm not sure they help return phones or not.

I'm sure of my info about Apple, but not so much at ATT.

Its not true? And you have what experience to refute the "help from apple to track down an owner?"

I was at the apple store today playing around with their Macbooks (the white ones my cousin wants one) And while playing i checked the forums. I remembered about this thread, so i decided to ask the Gbar about stolen/found phones.

I went to the Gbar and said i just found this white iphone inside another store (it was mine lol). Are you able to return it to its owner, or contact them...whats the process that you guys use to find out the owner, or phone number, serial numbers etc. The girl said let me see the phone and connected it to her laptop. She said this phone is registered to someone who lives in South Florida as far as confidentiality thats all i can tell you, but thankyou for bringing the phone to us.

At that point i realized they was going to keep my phone, so i asked is the name registered to the phone the same as this one (i showed my ID) she said yes, asked what the phone number was and if i knew the itunes account on the phone. Yes i said, then she asked for a billing address which i gave. She then smiled and said Are you sure you lost this?? I said no, it's mine i just wanted to see if Apple does make an attempt to get the phone back to the owner.

She replied saying if it wasn't your phone, we would make an attempt to obtain the phones information with AT&T. AT&T would try to contact you, and we would send an email to the itunes account email. Once confirmed then we would give you back the phone provided you have the original purchase reciept, or other means of proof that the phone is in your name.

To sum up the story... they will try to get the phone back to you, however its up to you to come and pick up the phone. Im kinda Tee'd off that she didnt offer me like a $10 itunes gift card or something for finding the phone lol even tho it was mine.

[psylichon]

Thanks for that, man. I was actually going to call Apple today regarding this because I was extremely curious.

It may have something to do with what Genius you get, but it's obvious that Apple doesn't have a blanket policy of not returning lost phones.

So can we stop telling the OP how to keep stealing this phone now?

[Ramesh]

Cool, London. I'm glad you found that out. Like I said, I was going off what my 3 friends told me who actually work at the Apple store.

[Londonrockz568]

Thanks for the Thankx guys. I mean yes, both companies may be more inclined to make you cut your loss, but as Psy said, it really depends on who you speak with because some of the stores do value their customer...and want to keep you with them and keep you happy. Not to mention i spent about $1200 that day for a White Macbook but i digress lol.

AT&T they'll always try to keep you.
Apple its kinda like hit or miss.

[2012]

If you are going to say this is BS and accuse me of stealing it don't bother wasting you time, also it is slander.

Learn when to use the term slander. Slander is used when the defamation of character is spoken. This can be person to person or a person speaking to many people.

Say the term libel when referring to the written defamation of someone's character. Libel is the defamation of an individual's or an entity's character which is published in a written medium, such as a newspaper. However, any written communication can be libelous as long as it's transmitted to a third party.

[acosmichippo]

and i don't think it's considered libel if it's true.

[Londonrockz568]

lol @ the dictonarysaurus that posting in a thread from last month.

[kunfuzious]

I can't imagne I'm the only one to notice the irony here but...

If the OP is threatening legal action due to "libel/slander" (used loosely LOL), cant the OP afford to buy a new iPhone instead of trying to activate the one he stole?!?! :laugh2:

I'm just saying...

[2012]

lol @ the dictonarysaurus that posting in a thread from last month.

So what's your point?

[Londonrockz568]

We all pretty much condemned the OP, and the thread died. Then you posted and brought it to the top lol.

All in good fun.

[iemploy]

Wow... I'm lucky to find a penny. Usually it is heads down when I do :)

[2012]

We all pretty much condemned the OP, and the thread died. Then you posted and brought it to the top lol.

All in good fun.

you had made a post just 6 days earlier. That's hardly a month. There's plenty of threads alot older than that around here, as well. Plus, my post was educational as opposed to your worthless one directed at me. How was that in "good fun?"

[psylichon]

This topic has definitely run its course.