Stolen iPhones are locked tight, until scammers phish your Apple ID credentials

Posted on 11 November 2025, Malwarebytes reports that stolen iPhones are kept under control not by breaking Apple’s security, but by phishing owners for their Apple ID credentials. According to the Swiss National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the scam starts after you report a phone as lost in Find My, where a contact detail appears on the screen and scammers use it to send convincing messages with a link to a fake site that mimics Find My.

Victims who hand over their Apple ID credentials grant thieves full access to the device, enabling wiping, factory resets, and potential resale, with further risks such as unlocking the device on replacement iPhones or accessing photos, emails and apps. The article notes Activation Lock remains in place so criminals cannot bypass it through technical means, but warns human error remains a weak link.

It advises to ignore messages from “Apple,” enable Lost Mode, and use a different contact number or email to deter targeted scams, while also protecting the SIM with a PIN and contacting the carrier if the phone is stolen.