My friend Jake got his iPhone stolen outside a bar in Brooklyn last...
Jaxon@jaxoncoder
8 views
Aug 06, 2026
~3 min read
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1
My friend Jake got his iPhone stolen
outside a bar in Brooklyn last month.
9 minutes later, his Apple ID password
was changed from his own phone.
The detective who helped us file the report
opened his own iPhone
and showed me exactly how they do it.
outside a bar in Brooklyn last month.
9 minutes later, his Apple ID password
was changed from his own phone.
The detective who helped us file the report
opened his own iPhone
and showed me exactly how they do it.
2
1/ Minute 0 to 1: The Airplane Swipe
Jake's Find My showed
last seen at 11:47 PM. Then nothing.
The detective said the first thing
thieves do is swipe down on the lock screen
to turn on Airplane Mode.
Fix:
Settings > Face ID & Passcode
> Allow Access When Locked
> Control Centre OFF
Jake's Find My showed
last seen at 11:47 PM. Then nothing.
The detective said the first thing
thieves do is swipe down on the lock screen
to turn on Airplane Mode.
Fix:
Settings > Face ID & Passcode
> Allow Access When Locked
> Control Centre OFF
3
2/ Minute 1 to 2: The USB Attack
The detective said forensic tools
can try to extract data through the charging port
even when the phone is locked.
Fix:
Settings > Face ID & Passcode
> Scroll down to Accessories
> Turn it OFF
This blocks the port
if the phone has been locked for an hour.
The detective said forensic tools
can try to extract data through the charging port
even when the phone is locked.
Fix:
Settings > Face ID & Passcode
> Scroll down to Accessories
> Turn it OFF
This blocks the port
if the phone has been locked for an hour.
4
3/ Minute 2 to 3: The Number Transfer
Since 2022, US iPhones have no physical SIM card.
So thieves try to port your number
to intercept your bank codes.
Fix:
Open your carrier app
(T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T)
and turn on Number Lock or Transfer PIN.
Since 2022, US iPhones have no physical SIM card.
So thieves try to port your number
to intercept your bank codes.
Fix:
Open your carrier app
(T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T)
and turn on Number Lock or Transfer PIN.
5
4/ Minute 3 to 5: The Shoulder Surf
The thief watched Jake type his 4 digit code
at the bar.
They used it to change his Apple ID password.
Fix:
Settings > Face ID & Passcode
> Stolen Device Protection
> Set it to ALWAYS
Now passcode alone
won't be enough to change it.
It will need Face ID + a 1-hour wait.
The thief watched Jake type his 4 digit code
at the bar.
They used it to change his Apple ID password.
Fix:
Settings > Face ID & Passcode
> Stolen Device Protection
> Set it to ALWAYS
Now passcode alone
won't be enough to change it.
It will need Face ID + a 1-hour wait.
6
5/ Minute 5 to 6: The Code
Jake used his birth year.
A 4 digit code only has 10,000 combinations.
Fix:
Settings > Face ID & Passcode
> Change Passcode > Passcode Options
> Custom Alphanumeric Code
Use letters and numbers
to make it much harder to guess.
Jake used his birth year.
A 4 digit code only has 10,000 combinations.
Fix:
Settings > Face ID & Passcode
> Change Passcode > Passcode Options
> Custom Alphanumeric Code
Use letters and numbers
to make it much harder to guess.
7
6/ Minute 6 to 7: The Delay Game
Jake's Auto-Lock was set to 5 minutes.
The thief kept the screen awake.
Fix:
Settings > Display & Brightness
> Auto-Lock > 30 Seconds
Give them no time
to play with an unlocked screen.
Jake's Auto-Lock was set to 5 minutes.
The thief kept the screen awake.
Fix:
Settings > Display & Brightness
> Auto-Lock > 30 Seconds
Give them no time
to play with an unlocked screen.
8
7/ Minute 7 to 8: The Last Ping
Jake had Find My turned on,
but his offline tracking was disabled.
Fix:
Settings > Your Name > Find My
> Find My iPhone
> Turn ON Find My Network
and Send Last Location
Your phone will ping other Apple devices
even if it is offline.
Jake had Find My turned on,
but his offline tracking was disabled.
Fix:
Settings > Your Name > Find My
> Find My iPhone
> Turn ON Find My Network
and Send Last Location
Your phone will ping other Apple devices
even if it is offline.
9
8/ Minute 8 to 9: The Routine Map
Jake's phone had a log
of exactly what time he leaves for work
and when he comes home.
Fix:
Settings > Privacy & Security
> Location Services
> System Services
> Significant Locations
> Clear history and turn it OFF
Jake's phone had a log
of exactly what time he leaves for work
and when he comes home.
Fix:
Settings > Privacy & Security
> Location Services
> System Services
> Significant Locations
> Clear history and turn it OFF
10
9/ Minute 9: The Recovery
The last thing they try
is to remove your recovery contact
so you can never get back in.
Fix:
Settings > Your Name
> Sign-In & Security
> Recovery Contacts
> Add someone you trust right now.
The last thing they try
is to remove your recovery contact
so you can never get back in.
Fix:
Settings > Your Name
> Sign-In & Security
> Recovery Contacts
> Add someone you trust right now.
11
Jake got his account back
because we acted fast,
but the detective said
most people lose everything.
It takes 90 seconds to change these settings.
Bookmark this
and send it to a friend
who still uses 1234 or birth year as code.
because we acted fast,
but the detective said
most people lose everything.
It takes 90 seconds to change these settings.
Bookmark this
and send it to a friend
who still uses 1234 or birth year as code.
