It's illegal to sell a lost or stolen phone, so recyclers are duty-bound to cooperate with law enforcement here. Only ever sell a gadget that is truly yours to sell.
Apple does NOT maintain a blacklist of stolen or lost iPhone's and Apple actually told you so. If your carrier can't help you, there is nothing Apple can do. Apple has a strict policy of NOT getting involved in lost or stolen devices.
Lost Mode prevents all of the above listed features from being used. Siri is inaccessible, as is the Control Center, the Notification Center, and Medical ID information. All someone can do with your iPhone when it's in lost mode is call you, turn it off, or make an emergency phone call.
An owner of an iCloud account Marking a device as lost has to have the device signed into their account. So no, the previous owner can't do this.
In case you buy a second-hand phone and it turns out to be stolen, then you might be jailed. Those found in possession of a stolen mobile phone are booked under Section 411 of the Indian Penal Code (dishonestly receiving stolen property), a non-bailable offence.
Having your IMEI number hacked is a serious matter since you could face a service interruption with your own smartphone or cell phone, and it's also possible that thieves could access your personal information to commit ID fraud.
Method 3: Use iCloud to Find Your Lost iPhone Even When It's Powered Off/ Factory Reset. You can also use iCloud's website to track your lost iPhone even if it has been powered off or doesn't have enough battery backup.
If you believe your phone has been stolen, file a police report. Although law enforcement agencies don't have the resources to investigate every case of a stolen phone, if you're able to tell them where your phone is (using a finder app), they will be more likely to be able to help you recover it.
Stolen phones may be block listed up to 30 days after the event. Phones used in fraudulent activity may be block listed up to 120 days after the event as this activity may take longer to detect. If the phone you are using has been block listed, first contact the seller.
If your iPhone got blacklisted due to bills that are unpaid or have an outstanding balance on the account. The only thing you can do is to settle the bill or outstanding balance on the account of your device and the IMEI number of your device will be removed from the blacklisted devices.
If the carrier blacklisted the device because of outstanding payments on the account, you'll simply need to settle the bill before they will remove the device's IMEI from the blacklist. Once your device is off the blacklist, you can either use it or sell it.
Common Law Lost Property Rule
At common law, you may be able to keep the phone if it was lost property but not if it was mislaid property. If this sounds like a weird distinction to you, you're not alone. Lost property is property that was unintentionally left behind by its owner.
You should report it to your local police station as soon as you can by calling 101 or going in person. Your network provider will give you your phone's identification number (IMEI), which you should pass on to the police. Make a note of the crime reference number - you'll need it if you want to claim on insurance.
Police IMEI tracker is confidential software used by police officers to track stolen phones. It works in a way that the police officer will enter the victim's IMEI number and the location of the phone. The software will then provide them with the exact location of where the phone is located.
If you erase a device that had iOS 15, iPadOS 15, or later installed, you can still use Find My to locate the device or play a sound on it. Otherwise, you won't be able to locate the device or play a sound after you erase it.
Therefor, even in that case it would be against the law to track the phone. So again: no, it's not possible. Unfortunately, there's nothing more you can do.
Lost your phone, reported it, then found it again? That's fine, you can still sell it on. Just call up the same number you used to report it - as well as your network's customer service - and tell them you've found it again and all is well.
If it was stolen, report it to the police. There is no way to track an unopened, un-activated device.
Apple recommends users reset a found iPhone using iTunes partly because it not only removes the settings and information on your iPhone but it will also install the latest version of iOS automatically.
If it's reported lost/stolen, the line is suspended, so no calls can be made and no messages can be used. However, if she knows the passcode, she will be able to see the information on the device. She can see your messages, call logs, etc.
Once the IMEI is erased, the phone can never be traced.
And therefore, once stolen it is not resold in the grey market as it is risky.
An IMEI number is a 15 digit long number printed on the backside of your phone as well as on the mobile packaging box and is used to track the device when lost or stolen. Each IMEI number is unique to a mobile set and can never be changed or replaced, unlike a SIM card.
The IMEI is bound to the device, not your phone number or account. It could be used to track stolen phones, and to lock them out from networks (done in a few countries, but not across borders or carriers normally, they could not agree on a global DB).