She lost her iPhone 4 in downtown KC this morning. I've been tracking it the last hour, now it's moved about 3 miles. I've remotely activated the passcode lock and sent a message for whomever has found it to please call my number. I was just wondering if anyone has ever engaged the police in assisting in retrieval of a lost iPhone found via Find My iPhone app and what kind of luck, if any, you've had or heard of others having with the police. I think whomever has it isn't smart enough to wipe it, so there's still a chance we could retrieve it.

TIA for any advice...

I doubt the cops will expend any effort towards a lost cell phone.

However eventually whoever has it will stop to sleep - just track it then and go see if they will give it back.

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You can tell a lot about a woman by her hands...
- For example, if they are wrapped around your throat she's probably slightly upset.

There was an article in the KC Star several months back about a person who contacted the Police and they assisted him recovering the phone, via 'Find My iPhone'.

I say give them a call and see what they can do. Ask if this qualifies as a 'Civil Standby' situation (it should).

Explain that you have the phone on the tracker now and so you pretty much know where it is. I would think they would want to take this call as it is a positive 'statistic' in whomever's column that assists you.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/20/2012 12:43PM by onthedownlow.

offer a $20 reward to the findee via the send a message feature?

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The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs [www.fakesteve.net]

This type of problem cries out for a vigilante solution. What if there were a website where people like yourself could post the current location of their lost or stolen device, and offer a reward to whoever returns it?

I'll bet there are plenty of unemployed toughs who would be willing to be bounty hunters for a little quick cash, no questions asked.

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Be yourself; everyone else is already taken. — Oscar Wilde

Offering a reward.. good. If someone calls, meet them in a public place.. like a police station.

Finding the phone all by yourself ? Depends where it is. Suburban kid who 'found it' ? Easy.. Mom and Dad will give it up. Gangsta who just sold it for some rock ? Bad.

Do Not Risk your life for the iPhone.

Your results in getting help in your town depends on the crime level in your town. Most major metro areas won't even look for stolen cars, much less lost and found iPhones. Hec, some can't even be troubled to pick up dead bodies by the side of the highway.
[www.cbsnews.com]

Note... one of my kids 'friends' 'found' an iPhone at a bar. He was waving it around. I asked him if he had called the owner. "Nah, I'm thinking about keeping it". I suggested that it was a bad thing. Even expressed my annoyance that he would even consider doing something that dishonest. What did our hero do ? He went to the local Verizon store.. Where he works as an employee... and reset the phone and ported it to his old phone number.

At that point I recommended to my kids that I didn't want to see the punk around, because I'd have to check his pockets to see if he was going to walk off with something from my house. Fortunately they decided he was a jerk as well, and he has not been back.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/20/2012 01:48PM by cbelt3.

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cbelt3

Note... one of my kids 'friends' 'found' an iPhone at a bar. He was waving it around. I asked him if he had called the owner. "Nah, I'm thinking about keeping it". I suggested that it was a bad thing. Even expressed my annoyance that he would even consider doing something that dishonest. What did our hero do ? He went to the local Verizon store.. Where he works as an employee... and reset the phone and ported it to his old phone number.

He does know that the IMEI number can't be changed and it's registered to the real owner right? I might be tempted to report him to Verizon Wireless. They might act on the call as they should be able to match the IMEI to the rightful owner.

Some police stations might be willing to track down a stolen iPhone. There's been a few stories of such action leading to a major bust including drugs and weapons.

Wow, what a punk@$$ kid indeed...he was even a Verizon employee?! Man. Some people...

Thanks for the tips, all. The phone locator is showing it back downtown now where she lost it, in the exact same place it was earlier. I'm wondering if the reading I got earlier was a false one. I wonder how accurate the tracking is.

I did send a REWARD message. So hopefully someone will come across that and find it. No, it's not worth risking life or limb over. It's just a huge PITA. Thanks again, all. I'll follow up with any news.

If someone wants it, they take out the data card thingy, and refresh, and use it on another carrier, or just use as a iPod.

Daughters was stolen, and nobody could help.

Go get it. When you get close have it make the ring via Find My iPhone.

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

it's traveling around on the bus LOL

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Microman
If someone wants it, they take out the data card thingy, and refresh, and use it on another carrier, or just use as a iPod.

Daughters was stolen, and nobody could help.

They can take the SIM card out, but the IMEI number can't be changed (typically, it requires hardware and software to do and still isn't easy). In about a year, all the cell phone service providers will begin a program that will prevent stolen phones from being activated.

Personally, I'd round up a posse and pay the guy a visit...

A couple of years ago, I checked the "Find My iPhone" while I was at work. The "location" shown on a computer was more than 100' OFF from where the iPhone actually was. No only did it NOT show even the building I was in; it had the "location" on the wrong side of nearby railroad tracks! It was so far off as to be usless in recovering the iPhone (at least at that time). YMMV