MacDirectory magazine is the premiere creative lifestyle magazine for Apple enthusiasts featuring interviews, in-depth tech reviews, Apple news, insights, latest Apple patents, apps, market analysis, entertainment and more.
Issue link: https://digital.macdirectory.com/i/1176476
Thieves Getting Contact Info from Your Stolen iPhone? Here's How to Protect Yourself By Jesse Hollington Since Apple first introduced Activation Lock, incidents of iPhone theft have dropped dramatically. As the feature makes iPhones much more troublesome for thieves to profit from stealing, the theory is that many would-be iPhone thieves are more likely to go for the lower-hanging fruit of other smartphones that have fewer anti-theft measures baked in.Now seven years later, I'm still working on the same laptop. The keyboard buttons are sticky, the trackpad works only on the right side, and the entire system has a fit if I open too many tabs in Chrome. But otherwise, this laptop is a charm. It's served me well during many freelance jobs as I've hauled it back and forth across the country (and even to the Colombian jungle). But despite its age, I'm not looking to upgrade to a new MacBook Pro, and here's why. However, the popularity and value of the iPhone still makes it a desirable target, and for professional thieves, where there's a will, there's a way. Although the Activation Lock itself may still be secure, there are other ways that criminals can attempt to bypass a locked iPhone through "social engineering" tactics — convincing either Apple or the original user to simply switch the feature off. We reported earlier this year on some of these techniques, which include generating fake receipts to try and convince Apple that the thief is the legitimate owner of the stolen iPhone, as well as phishing attacks directed at the original owner to attempt to get them to supply their Apple ID and password, often through a fake "Find My iPhone" page or another related method that convinces the user that their lost iPhone has been found, and that the poor victim simply needs to supply this information — or even disable Activation Lock themselves — in order to be reunited with their device.