Stolen iPhone 7 32 GB

Z

Zaibatsu

Disciple
My iPhone 7 32 GB was stolen from my pocket in the Metro. I had insurance on my phone but the insurance policy only covered violent thefts and doesn't cover lost mobiles. I have locked my phone with erase pending, last location was shown on the day it was stolen at a location far away from my place, but confirmed stolen. I reported it to Law Enforcement also. Now I ask this to Apple, you are publicizing your expensive iPhones on Advertisements on Television and have made it available everywhere. How do you protect somebody if incase it gets lost or stolen? For me it was an expensive lesson never to carry anything costly in public transport like the Metro. I request you, please guide me through the next steps I can take to recover my phone. Apple is selling phones worth 1000 $ and when it comes to consumer protection, they are never available on the hotline or even in the stores, once their job is done, they don't care what you do with your phone. Buy iPhones at your own risk

I was trying to post this content on Apple forums but their automatic system somehow disallowed me to post it
 
Firstly, read the insurance policy before taking one. Irrespective of what it applies to. Also, be careful when carrying expensive stuff - iphones or something else.

Next, I lost my Kindle - the same one I got from @mutant here on TE, the person who has flicked it connected it to WiFi (non 3G model), activated Kindle Unlimited Trial - I got charged on my card, and read 2 books - one Java and some romantic novel. I spoke to Amazon - India and US as my Kindle account is US, and got the charges reversed and got the device locked. And that's all I can do, and Amazon will do. The device is blacklisted and cannot be used to buy any stuff from Amazon (hopefully)

Unlike Kindles, mobile phones do have an IMEI and you can try for any contacts in the force to track it down. If lucky, you have a chance. If not, it will striped for parts and sold, because when you notify that an apple device is lost, it locks when connected to the net and if a force reset is done - needs your apple ID and password. By default, none of the mobile operators will do anything for this on the basis of IMEI - you need contacts.

There is nothing else you can do, apart from asking Metro chaps access to CCTV footage.
 
This whole indian insurance/warranty system is absolute bollocks. they would lose badly in the courts but they know no one will ever take them there. violent theft my arse. what, they expect you to be stabbed and then they will reimburse your phone?

Friend had his old 4s stolen in the local train. Nerul i think. Thief ran away with it when the train started moving to fast to get off. Traced it to deonar slums. From there it went to nagpur. He set a message "this phone is stolen call xxxx number". Some dude from a mobile shop in nagpur calls him and says is this your phone? someone sold it to me. friend's uncle is sales tax comm. or sth there. went with a police jeep and handful of cops and got the phone. no luck with the seller or thief. so i would say apple's system works the best among any brand.

and yes, contacts...[DOUBLEPOST=1498757428][/DOUBLEPOST]btw, speaking of china

also interesting: https://shift.newco.co/what-50-buys...t-fascinating-electronics-market-f0384d9fca32
 
Julian said:
Friend had his old 4s stolen in the local train. Nerul i think. Thief ran away with it when the train started moving to fast to get off. Traced it to deonar slums. From there it went to nagpur. He set a message "this phone is stolen call xxxx number". Some dude from a mobile shop in nagpur calls him and says is this your phone? someone sold it to me. friend's uncle is sales tax comm. or sth there. went with a police jeep and handful of cops and got the phone. no luck with the seller or thief. so i would say apple's system works the best among any brand.
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You can do this with android also.
 
Zaibatsu said:
My iPhone 7 32 GB was stolen from my pocket in the Metro. I had insurance on my phone but the insurance policy only covered violent thefts and doesn't cover lost mobiles. I have locked my phone with erase pending, last location was shown on the day it was stolen at a location far away from my place, but confirmed stolen. I reported it to Law Enforcement also. Now I ask this to Apple, you are publicizing your expensive iPhones on Advertisements on Television and have made it available everywhere. How do you protect somebody if incase it gets lost or stolen? For me it was an expensive lesson never to carry anything costly in public transport like the Metro. I request you, please guide me through the next steps I can take to recover my phone. Apple is selling phones worth 1000 $ and when it comes to consumer protection, they are never available on the hotline or even in the stores, once their job is done, they don't care what you do with your phone. Buy iPhones at your own risk

I was trying to post this content on Apple forums but their automatic system somehow disallowed me to post it
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Lock the device. Once its locked, it will not be able to use normally without your apple ID and password. Your phone will be sold for spares but your fingerprint sensor will not work in other iphones. other things like battery, screen etc will be salvaged

How is apple responsible for you losing your phone? Be it apple or android, they're not responsible for your stuff once its sold, apart from software updates. Insurance for already depreciating asset like smartphone is waste of money imo
 
adventureguy said:
Insurance for already depreciating asset like smartphone is waste of money imo
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Even vehicles are depreciating assets but we still insure them right? And not just the mandatory 3rd party cover. Anything of value with a potential for loss or damage should be insured.
 
Vehicles cost a lot more than smartphones. And seeing the level of insurance service offered by these companies like servify , its not advisable to take insurance for smartphones, atleast in our present condition.
 
I would argue that there are many cheaper vehicles than top end iphones :p

I completely agree and already stated that insurance AND warranty in india is nonsense. But anywhere else it would be foolish not to insure such an expensive device.

@Zaibatsu refer the servify thread/news reports for an awesome horror story...
 
If you have a dealer offering a brand new iPhone at half the price, do not fall for the trap. Delhi Police’s Crime Branch has arrested four persons who allegedly cheated several unsuspecting buyers by selling them old stolen mobile phones that were passed them off as new after changing the motherboard and IMEI numbers.

The men not only fooled people but also Apple service centers as they succeeded in passing the stolen phones as genuine and got them exchanged for new phones under the warranty scheme. With the arrest the police have recovered 409 I phones, 18 I pads, 250 front displays of iPhones along with other accessories.

The police received an information about the men running an illegal Apple iPhone workshop at Mal Colony, Filmistan area in north Delhi and an Apple iPhone Store at Gaffar Market, Karol Bagh, where they allegedly refurbished old Apple iPhones.

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According to the police, Muneer Khan, Anash Khan, Mohammad Hamza Khan and Mohammad Ibrahim imported motherboards of iPhones from China along with new valid IMEI numbers that they then embossed on plates of old phones. They then packaged those phones and sold them as new phone with attractive discounts online or at shops in Karol Bagh.

“After receiving a stock of stolen phones, the men in the workshop used to burn the IMEI of those phones. They then procured motherboards of old mobile phones from China. Once they got the motherboards, they would emboss a valid IMEI number and package it nicely for sale. For some phones they used to approach the Apple iPhone service centers and complain of a defect in the device. With connivance of the staff at the center they would then exchange the stolen phones for new devices. They were not only fooling customers but also the company,” joint commissioner of police, crime, Praveer Ranjan said.

The police official said the crime branch was monitoring certain inputs regarding change of IMEI of stolen mobile phone, when they were given a tip off about a gang running an illegal Apple iPhone workshop at Filmistan and a store at Gaffar Market in Karol Bagh. “We conducted a raid at the workshop and found a number of new and old Apple iPhones, two laptops, computer spare parts and machine. We found Muneer Khan getting Apple iPhone assembled with the help of two boys and he was immediately nabbed. A bag with 12 different models of apple iPhones were recovered,” DCP Crime, Bhisham Singh said.

During questioning, Muneer Khan revealed that he had purchased some mobile phones from China and some of them were stolen, the police said. “He revealed that a laser machine was used to change IMEI of stolen mobile phones. While he stole some phones, others were replaced for new phones in connivance with staff of Apple iPhone service centers. After packing in new duplicate boxes with high quality accessories, they were selling these mobile phones in market as new ones without bill,” Singh said.

HOW IT WORKED

The accused received stolen mobile phones from various sources. In their workshop, such phones were given the name of “flight”. After receiving the phones, the culprits used to throw the SIM tray and display was removed. At the second stage, the motherboard of phone containing inbuilt IMEI was removed and taken to China for destruction of evidence.

After the IMEI was burnt, they imported new motherboards and valid IMEI numbers from China.

The accused used ‘Wechat’ App to obtain such IMEIs from China, which were under warranty and could be replaced from Apple Care Centers.

Once received the instrument was again assembled. The new SIM tray was then put and the new IMEI number was embossed using laser.

The arrested men told the police that they have a huge market in Hong Kong of old iPhones under warranty. These phones come to China, and from China the accused persons import these phones to India. Thereafter they get them replaced in connivance with Apple Store employees with new phones.

These new Apple iPhones are packed in duplicate boxes. Stickers, that are printed in their workshop showing new IMEI are pasted on the duplicate boxes. After complete packing these phones are sold online and at Gaffar market, Karol Bagh.
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I think insurance for costly iphones makes perfect sense for me. I would definetly recomendgetting an insurance. I myself took servify for my phone. But the problem is that this is a relatively new industry and there are a lot of short comings in this domain as it is a relatively new industry and most of them don't cover phone lifting.
 
Dinesh Mittal said:
I think insurance for costly iphones makes perfect sense for me. I would definetly recomendgetting an insurance. I myself took servify for my phone. But the problem is that this is a relatively new industry and there are a lot of short comings in this domain as it is a relatively new industry and most of them don't cover phone lifting.
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My friend with a S8 has servify, they are asking him to keep the device for 2 months roughly while they fix the screen damage.
 
Pretty much everything that you can do with the situation is already available above. My only piece of concern/advice is that buy expensive stuff only if you can safeguard it. Once stolen, no one gives a damn about it for you in India. Be it insurance or cops.

For people who even kill for 100 Rs, does it matter if its an iphone or a nokia when stealing? I doubt it.
 
Dinesh Mittal said:
I think insurance for costly iphones makes perfect sense for me. I would definetly recomendgetting an insurance. I myself took servify for my phone. But the problem is that this is a relatively new industry and there are a lot of short comings in this domain as it is a relatively new industry and most of them don't cover phone lifting.
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Servify is not worth the hassle. They ask for FIR copy when phone is stolen, repeatedly delay repairs and often just pay out very small amount saying phone is unrepairable.
 
Apple or any other company for that matter is seeking to sell as much stuff as possible. They don't care about security anymore. They sell and that's it, after that you're on your own. I don't get why Apple products are so expensive. I'd rather buy the best Chinese phone out there for the same money, maybe even two. And it'd be way better than Apple.
 
I dont understand you. If you lose a phone how is it anyone's fault. They can provide the software, which makes sure that the phone is useless to anyone who robs it. But thats the most anyone can do. Would do you expect them to actually do? Have a security force in each city to recover stolen apple phones?
 
Colatu said:
Apple or any other company for that matter is seeking to sell as much stuff as possible. They don't care about security anymore. They sell and that's it, after that you're on your own. I don't get why Apple products are so expensive. I'd rather buy the best Chinese phone out there for the same money, maybe even two. And it'd be way better than Apple.
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What u want from Apple a Security Guard with evey iPhone that he can guard your phone ?
 
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