- Reddit user’s stolen iPhone traveled from Las Vegas to China over several days
- The phone was unlocked and removed from Find My app after receiving suspicious text
- User changed passwords, reported theft, replaced device, but doubts decision to remove
A Reddit user's story about a lost phone has become a lesson for many on social media. In a long and detailed post, the user revealed that their iPhone was stolen in Las Vegas, and somehow ended up in China after moving around in the United States for several days.
The user said that the phone was unlocked right before it was snatched, and was likely on airplane mode as well. They also mentioned circumstances that led them to remove the phone from Find My, an app that makes it easy to keep track of Apple devices.
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The social media users flooded the comment section, telling him that he shouldn't have done that. The post gained huge traction with millions of views, 3,800 upvotes and more than 400 comments.
"I had the phone in the back pocket and had this strange feeling that someone is eyeing me from a close distance, but since it was after 10 pm and I was close to the mosh pit I brushed it off thinking it's nothing. Minutes later the phone was gone and I had no way of tracking it from there," the user wrote.
"So we went back to our hotel after an hour and my in ipad the location still showed up as Las Vegas festival grounds."
Had my phone Stolen in Vegas at a concert last month and now it seems to be in China
byu/Normal_Car9703 iniphone
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What did he do wrong?
"Next morning I see it's in Arizona - then NM-TX-OK-OH-FL and couple days ago it started showing up in China. I still couldn't believe this was actually happening, but then I got this text message asking specifically to remove the device from my 'Find my'."
The user mentioned that they received a text asking them to remove the device from 'Find my'. They found it strange and removed it from their iCloud devices, because they thought the device "cannot be trusted anymore".
"I have changed all important passwords and reported Verizon that the phone is stolen , also got my device replaced and phone number activated on the new device. I am just concerned if I did the right thing or not by removing from under my icloud device list, the user wrote.
"It never updated from 'will put in lost mode when device comes online' and 'pending erase'. Now it just gives me two options, cancel erase or remove. Not sure if it even means anything at this point since I already removed the device from my icloud list."
Social media reaction
Social media users reacted to the post, telling him that they shouldn't have removed it from the app. "Mate those are all fake messages to THINK THEY HAVE YOUR DATA SO YOU ERASE THE PHONE... you just unlock the phone for the thieves," one user asked.
"That block in China is a huge tech hub and most stolen phones end up there to be wiped or striped for parts, the message is fake, they do so to get you to unlock and clear your phone so they can sell or use it, don't erase your phone, put it in stolen mode and forget about it," another user reacted.
"Dont do anything let the device locked with your icloud, no one can steal your data or such thing everything on a phones stays encrypted, if you remove icloud as theif says then you are giving away your iphone for free, if it stays locked the next buyer will know that this device is stolen, apple has one of the best security features which nobody can get through," said a third user.
