So I happened to come across an iPhone while sitting at an empty computer at the library. I know I'm going to get some hate for this, but Ive decided to keep it. Having just moved out I've been left without internet, until now. So what would any of you do In my position?
It's been shut off since an hour or so after I found it. I'm going to try to figure out how to change the MIEI? so it can't be tracked, and so I could have full use of the phone.. and then on to jailbreaking it.
A better plan would be to sell it. There's a reason criminals don't keep stolen property: it's stolen.
Seriously? It's a $200 phone. You should have taken it to the reference desk and the library and dropped it off. Would you like having $200 taken from you? The adult thing to do is to look through the phone and text someone, telling them you found this phone, and you need to get it back to the owner.
I know it's selfish to do what I'm doing, but as someone who is living off of $100 a week, I can't ignore my greed.. Especially when I have no Internet, phone, or car atm.
I work for AT&T. This thread makes me piss anger. While the phone was originally purchased for around ~$200, replacement cost for a 32gig 3GS is $699 + tax. Yes, over $700. There is no insurance available for the iphone, there is no replacement coverage for a lost or physically damaged iphone. Replacing an iphone with a regular phone will cost a customer $150+ because their discount eligibility is generally blown on purchasing the iphone. So a customer would be out their original $200 + upgrade fee + tax, and another $700 + tax, or another $150 + tax. AT&T doesn't give these theft victims courtesy breaks. In fact, giving people adjustments or credits relating to iphone hardware in anyway will result in immediate termination. Some people can't afford a new phone to replace their iphone so end up canceling service and eating a $175 termination fee they can't afford either. I've seen people go to collections over it. So to put it frankly, you are fucking somebody one way or another, and it's your choice to do this or not do this. Also, you cannot change the IMEI. The IMEI is embedded in the phone whether you jailbreak it or not. The SIM card will likely be suspended so the phone won't be usable to you as it is, of course you could put your own AT&T SIM card in the phone and run up a lovely data usage bill. I talk to people almost every day who have had iphones stolen from them. It's a mess, and it's not cool. Take the phone to an AT&T company owned store. Karma will thank you. And so will I, personally.
I would try to return it, most likely it won't work anyways as stated ^^above. My dad lost his company phone at a concert and the person called his house and met him somewhere to return it, I would suggest you do the same..the person might even reward you.
Whoever lost it should have known better than to leave their phone by a computer. I used to find Phones all the time when I used to be an usher at the Theater I work at. My rule was that if someone didn't show up the same day, and it was a Verizon, I'd keep it as my backup phone. I have an LG Dare as my backup phone because of this. If you don't notice your phone is missing at the end of the night, you don't use it enough to deserve it back. Besides, I'm quite sure our Janitors take anything they find, because they never leave anything for us. Did you take it right away or did you wait for a while to see if someone was coming back for it?
I would think tracking down stolen advanced phones would be the easiest thing in the world for the telecom company. Provided the thief use the same operator as the victim. As I've understood it, in the US the iPhone is only usable on the AT&T network. As such, if a reported stolen phone goes online on that network, identified by its IMEI, the thief or fence is immidiatly identified by the billing info related to the SIM card. Stolen phones are as such useless, unless one want to risk criminal charges for being stupid and dishonest. So if I where the OP, I'd return that thing. Track down who owns it, and request a small finders fee, like a nice bottle of wine or whatever. Or 10% of the phones value in dollars. You know, for your trouble and time used in returning it.
one time i found a cell phone when i was walking through this neighborhood...called the number on it and they gave me 50 bucks when they came and got it...it was a piece of shit phone too.
Theres nothing wrong with that(unless you put it in the paper its missing) and no-one claims its their fuckin fault for not keepin up with it,because i found one at the pool awhile back and posted it on GC and got flamed by another blade(NOT EVEN KNOWING THE WHOLE DAMN STORY) But yeah nice find
I'd return it for a reward. There's always a reward. Probably like $50, which aint bad considering you more or less stole it. I'd take $50 and no potential of law trouble over an iPhone anyday. Besides, it's not like you can even use it for long. It'll get canceled, or tracked (iPhones and iPods are notorious for getting people fucked over, if you didn't know).
There is a way to use it with networks other than at&t, and that's by changing the imei. There is An easy way to track iPhones, but unfortunately for the person who lost it, it needs to have been installed on the phone first, which it doesn't appear to be on this particular phone. (also, this phone looks very new, only 10 total hours of talk time, so even less of a chance of such a program being installed.) and this phone is not without it's worth, It's not locked.. Just the service is shut down, which still leaves me with wifi(the reason i am able to type this), an iPod, and complete use of the phone once I change the miei(it IS possible).
As somebody living off of $100 a week, you should have the decency to return the phone. Way to contribute NOTHING to getting yourself out of your current situation.
Well right on, so now you live off of $100 a week, have no car, or anything. And your a thief. Whos to say the person who lost the iphone was even worseoff than you? The phone coulda been a present and all they had. But you obviously don't care.
Holy shit, stop stepping on his nuts, he'll do whatever he wants and you guys calling him a POS thief in every post doesn't help anything. He asked what you would do, not what you think of what he's doing.
I don't know if you have my posts on ignore or what, but you seem to have missed what I typed earlier. I work for AT&T and can tell you that you're wrong on several things, as well as a thief. You can track an iphone using FamilyMap, http://www.att.com/familymap and it doesn't require anything to be installed on the phone first. The phone could be tracked at any time it's powered on. And you cannot change the IMEI. It is NOT possible. You can change the SIM card, and you can jailbreak it (software 3.1 made it much more easy to destroy your iphone when attempting to do so), but you cannot change the IMEI. That's like saying you can change your DNA. It's embedded in the phone. And if you truly feel satisfied about potentially costing somebody $700+ you are a loser.