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Buckle up kids, it's story time.. and this is a good one.

So about a week ago I sold my iPhone 6s Plus on eBay to an older couple in Ohio. I erased my phone, made sure it was unlocked from my iCloud account and off it went in the mail. Well sure enough the couple contacted me claiming that the iPhone was "iCloud locked." Seeing as the eBay account had a very high positive feedback rate, I was kind enough to talk to them on the phone to walk through the unlocking process.

Well, that didn't work. They kept claiming it was STILL locked despite me letting them have a modified simple password for my iCloud account for one-time use. So a few days later they got a refund and I got my iPhone back.

After receiving the phone I made sure it was mine. I checked the IMEI number on the box and compared it with the phone. They are the same. I also cross-checked the serial number and is the same serial number. This is in fact the very phone I shipped to them a week ago and it is now back in my possession.

PHEW! So here is where the issue comes in. I booted the phone and connected to my WiFi network to find out that the phone is IN FACT iCloud locked... but not on my account. Instead it is locked to a COMPLETELY FOREIGN iCloud account (email starting with the letter q).

So good god wouldn't you know it, this phone, which is mine, and is verified to by my ORIGINAL PHONE, has been locked by SOMEBODY ELSE (presumably the couple that had the iPhone for a few days).

So here is the deal, I have an iCloud backup of this phone, but I am not sure if it will even let me restore to that (can anyone verify?). I will try this on my own soon and report back as well. I also have this phone under Apple Care+ and have proof of purchase. In a worst case scenario, would Apple allow me to exchange it?

Finally, does anyone have any advice to get me out of this hell?

UPDATE

Ok everyone... the problem just got weirder.

I got the phone back and took it to Apple. I was able to verify the phone was mine and the Apple Genius at the Apple Store unlocked my phone from iCloud and I was on my way. We verified it was completely untied to an Apple account and I re-sold the phone.

Well... the new individual got the phone. And after a day of use, she called me directly and said it was iCloud locked to an account that started with a q. Just like the original buyers. She was more investigative and called Apple, and that is where things got weird.

The Apple representative on the phone looked up the serial number of the phone, and it turns out that during transit from my house to her house, an iPhone with my exact same serial number was checked into an Apple Store in NYC (via mail) and replaced for a cracked screen. The screen replacement came out of my Apple Care+ as well. It appears my SN was somehow duplicated on a different iPhone and this is being abused somehow. If anyone else has experienced this please let me know.

grg
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James Manes
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    You aren't going to be able to get far enough into the device to restore a backup because you aren't going to be able to get past the activation lock. Apple should help you (if you go see them in person) since you are the original owner and have proof of purchase and such. – tubedogg Sep 28 '16 at 02:29
  • Apple Care+ does not entail "iCloud Lock" services. If you call eBay they will forward you to Apple. If you call Apple they will forward you to eBay... – CJ Dana Sep 28 '16 at 02:31
  • @CJDana OP is the original owner of the device. Why would he call eBay? – tubedogg Sep 28 '16 at 02:33
  • The other party returned a device locked to their account. That's willful negligence on their behalf after stating that it was locked before them... They are responsible for returning the device as they received it. Apple will tell you the same exact thing, that 3rd party iCloud lock isnt covered by Apple care+. – CJ Dana Sep 28 '16 at 02:42
  • @CJDana All righty fella, let's tweak the story a bit and see if that still applies.

    What if someone stole my phone, reset it, and then locked it. Apple would still not cover this?

     – James Manes Sep 28 '16 at 02:51
  • @CJDana Let's say for a second that Apple ignores the fact that James can prove ownership of the device, show that it was sold and returned, and that he now has a problem with it. First, he isn't making a claim under the insurance portion of AppleCare+ so I don't know why you keep bringing that up. Nobody claimed this was a "covered incident" under insurance. Second, Apple historically tries to help their customers whenever possible. No, they aren't going to just disable Activation Lock for a random guy who brings in a random iPhone and claims its his. The scenario is very different ... – tubedogg Sep 28 '16 at 03:08
  • ... when we're talking about somebody who can prove original ownership of the device. Third, OP doesn't even need to mention eBay. "I lent my phone to my friend, they knew my password and disabled Activation Lock and put their own on there. Help???" I guarantee Apple would resolve the issue. The fact of him selling it on eBay and getting it back (and refunding the sale) is easily provable via paperwork. Apple will be able to verify when the new Activation Lock was applied, which will further bolster OP's story. There's no reason Apple wouldn't get involved, AppleCare+ or not. – tubedogg Sep 28 '16 at 03:09
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    @tubedogg Excellent answer. Thank you. I will take this to an Apple store tomorrow and see if I can get it replaced. – James Manes Sep 28 '16 at 03:11
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    There (should be) no need to get it replaced. They should be able to disable Activation Lock on your existing device. – tubedogg Sep 28 '16 at 03:13

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