Guy came to the door and said his iPhone was showing up at our home

/u/nicoco-8838 - This message is posted to all new submissions to r/scams; please do not message the moderators about it.

Because you posted here, you will start getting private messages from scammers saying they know a professional hacker or a recovery expert lawyer that can help you get your money back, for a small fee. We call these RECOVERY SCAMMERS, so NEVER take advice in private: advice should always come in the form of comments in this post, in the open, where the community can keep an eye out for you. If you take advice in private, you're on your own.

A reminder of the rules in r/scams: no contact information (including last names, phone numbers, etc). Be civil to one another (no name calling or insults). Personal army requests or "scam the scammer"/scambaiting posts are not permitted. No uncensored gore or personal photographs are allowed without blurring. A full list of rules is available on the sidebar of the subreddit, or clicking here.

You can help us by reporting recovery scammers or rule-breaking content by using the "report" button. We review 100% of the reports. Also, consider warning community members of recovery scammers if you see them in the comments.

Questions about subreddit rules? Send us a modmail clicking here.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

There have been many cases reported here over the past year: in one case OP noticed something bright in the purse and suspecting this was the source of the "stolen iPhone signal" slammed the door and called the police. Yes, it was an attempted robbery.

If you have security camera footage send an email to your local police department offering the footage to them: they are likely already looking for these folks and may find your footage useful. In the meantime warn the neighbors not to open the door and to call the police if somebody shows up at their door with the same excuse.

I think this is more than just a scam but possibly an attempt at a break in or worse

Possibly. There has been a few similar cases shared on this sub. Stranger coming over and alleging that the iphone is there. The last I read here was someone staying at an apartment complex and a woman coming and insisting that the phone was in that specific unit. Find my iphone is not that accurate. And it doesn't distinguish vertical heights. So it should not be able to point to a specific unit in an apartment.

In any case, if this ever happens again, just tell that person that you'll be calling the police and if they want to, they can wait for the police to arrive to sort it out.

Also I highly doubt that if someone legitimately thinks his or her iphone is in your house, they would just show up like this. Why put themselves in a possibly dangerous situation dealing with supposed thieves instead of calling and reporting to the police?

Had this happen, I was in a single story apartment building in the unit on the end, and a big guy pounded on my door at like 5-7 in the afternoon, it was after work and still light outside. He came in an SUV and backed in but not in a space so he could gun it and leave. There was a lady in the passenger seat. I could see all this through my front window since I didn’t have a peephole.

Anyway he said his phone was stolen at a (bar/casino that I’d never been to because that’s not my thing,) and that it pinged on my apartment. I was just like I don’t have your phone dude, and he’s like I’m going to call the cops. I’m like ok whatever and he shouted for a little more, one of my neighbors came out and started talking to him and backed down almost instantly when there were witnesses.

I think this was 10 years ago.

Also, same place:

I had a woman wake me up at 5 am by tapping on my bedroom window and then front door and saying “let me in,” she didn’t sound panicked or in trouble or anything and was either talking to herself or somebody else with her. Generously she was high or having a mental health crisis.

Also fell asleep on the couch with my gf one summer night and woke up to some dude peeping through my blinds, which I’d left open. I was like “you got the wrong house, dude” and he took off. He was dressed in this tight polo shirt and looked 50 and pretty much like a tweaker, with this greasy shock of hair that was sticking up in places.

The lady was scarier

This same exact thing happened to my younger brother when our parents were on vacation for a whole week back in 2019. Fortunately nothing happened as my brother stayed resilient and called the cops on them. I came over and slept over until my parents came home, to which my dad then immediately installed cameras everywhere.

We guessed that since my parents were gone, and both their cars were in the driveway on hours they’re normally gone, the scammers/robbers deduced that no one was home and knocked to see if it was empty. And in the case someone was home, they’d pull the “my iPhone is here” spiel to try and get in for who knows what they intended to do.

As a former police detective I’d call your local agency and report this. It might the an M.O. of crimes in the area and your camera may help solve crimes such as robberies, home invasions or burglaries. I think they were casing your home. I’d definitely make the report with your police. His phone didn’t track to your home unless it was in his pocket. Good luck. Let us know what the police say. Thx

They were casing your house

I would call the police non-emergency line and report it. It's suspicious behaviour. Your information might match other reports and the police might be interested in seeing your video.

When I've read about this before, the clever part of this is that he can show you the Find My Phone screen shows the phone is at your house -- because he's tracking a phone that's in his pocket and he's at your house.

Ruby Johnson,  77 years old,  got 3.7 million from her city after the police got a warrant and ransacked her home based only on a 'find my' ping. The cops got eviscerated in court because that is SO inaccurate and they were personally liable, too, for relying on something with such s low degree of accuracy. Google it if interested

I think this one is becoming common enough that it should get a summonable automod response, like other common scams.

That is a bit more rare scam, but not unheard of. It could very well be that the angle indeed is to rob the place later.

Google is pretty scarce on that scam.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Scams/comments/15l0mo4/comment/jv93j6u/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button 

"This is actually a pretty common robbery scam like someone else replied. A similar thing happened in my area and the house got broken in to a few days later. Be vigilant, OP."

He's casing your house to see what u have. Tell him come back with the cops. 9 outta 10 times u never see them again.

Sounds like an attempted home invasion.

What is funny about this is that about ten years ago, someone stole my daughter’s phone. We tracked it to a house and knocked on the door and asked if someone may have inadvertently picked up a phone that didn’t belong to them. The mom yells upstairs ‘hey Ronny, did you steal another phone?’ Two minutes later Ronny comes down and hands me my daughter’s phone. Surprisingly, he seemed annoyed.

That backpack probably had the phone so in case you would ask to see proof it would show on his phone, they were checking to see if anyone was home. I would probably alert your neighbors app, if your phone was really there they would have called the cops so that tells you everything.

You’d think if he was legit he’d show you the evidence of the tracking to your house?

Just a modern version of a scam that’s been around forever. Back in the 80s one day I pulled into my mom’s driveway. She was talking to some dude at the front door. When he saw me he immediately took off running. A few seconds later a woman came running out of the back yard. I asked my mom what was going on. The guy knocked on the door asking about doing some yard work. While she was distracted the woman snuck into the backyard and into the house through her unlocked sliders. We found the sliders opened and some dresser drawers pulled out. Fortunately they weren’t there long enough to steal anything but a good lesson for my mom.

He was just seeing if you were at home. If so, you get the phony I-phone story. If not, he goes around back and kicks the door in and steals your stuff.

Well that’s funny, because my 12 gauge shotgun is also showing up at my home. Would you like to meet him?

My response would have been....

That's not possible, if you believe I have some stolen property of yours please call the police or better yet I'm dialing the police right now.

I would do my best to get a license plate number and my security cameras would have a nice photo of them.

We get the odd solicitor at our door occasionally, most times a pleasant no thank you and off they go.

But if it was obvious they were targeting my house specifically I would have called the police immediately.

This is the only situation in which I somehow lie fluently. I had a guy (without a uniform or tool of any kind) get pushy asking to come in and "clean our carpets" Even just for a second--Just to show how good he was!

I just shook my head and told him we have a big dog that doesn't like strangers. He started to push, and I said no way in hell--We're already being sued by the plumber our dog attacked. He might never be able use that hand again. (which was maybe a bit much)

We have no dog. Or plumber.

Guy didn't even say goodbye as he backed off the porch and ran for the street.

Did you have a fancy car parked in the driveway where it was visible? If so the backpack may have had a scanner that can be used to grab your car key code to unlock your car door if you store that key near the door and not in a faraday cage.

Either way telling him to call the cops was the right move. In fact, I would have done it for him.

I had a cop show up and ask if we found an iphone. I live in a condo and there are apartments all around me. He parked the car a came to my door. Didn't say or visit anyone else and just left.

That was the only time cop came to my door in over 10 years living in the same place.

Breakin attempt. Do not open the door or let them in. Let them know you will call the cops to come check if they persist, and make good on this threat.

Ask them to play the sound to locate it, oh that’s in your backpack….

Wait right there. I’ll go get it. Let them hear you talking to the 911 dispatch and also let them hear you racking your 12ga pump.

I lost my phone while drunk once and I went to the house it said it was at and the dude that answered was like let me go check grandsons room and it was in there

If they say it’s an iPhone, demand they use Find My iPhone’s ”Play Sound” feature, and call their bluff that way. If it were a real accusation, they would accept because you’d have no way to turn the repeating sound off without the phone’s face ID or passcode. But a scammer who has the tracked phone in his bag at his side for the scam knows that Play Sound will prove the phone is in his possession, not yours.

what phone was he using to see that his iphone was at your house?

also yes i would have said let’s called the police and then turn on the alert sound to hear if it’s really at your house.

100% they were there to case your house or rob you right then and there.

It’s obvious they were either scoping your house out for a future break in or they were gonna rob you at gun point right there and then. Always call the Police and if you own protection, carry it

Common scam, they were casing your house or were going to potentially break in while you were distracted.

An easy solution:

"Oh man, it sucks that your phone was stolen. Here, let me call the cops for you since you don't have a phone now." Call 911 and report a stolen phone, right in front of him.

My guess you won't even be able to punch in the second "1" before he turns for the car.

They often threaten the cops making you think this is going to become a big mess for you. Instead, THEY are the ones concerned about cops, so bring them.

Most importantly, even if the cops show up and they are still there, AND you were the one that called, the cops can't come in your house without a warrant, so don't worry. Call the cops. And make sure they know you are calling them.

Oh my android did this when I dropped it, or was like 5 blocks away from where it said it was

Report report report.

I always like to share this podcast episode when I hear people talk about this.

https://gimletmedia.com/shows/reply-all/n8hodm

I’d be suspicious he was surreptitiously scanning your home for car key fobs in order to come back in the dead of night and steal it. The scanner was in the backpack.

He could have been trying to read/capture the RFID signal from your key FOBs for your vehicles to use for later.

I'm a cop in a rough area. We get calls about this all the time... I lost my phone, it was stolen, etc and its showing at xyz address. I believe these calls are usually genuine, if not sometimes mistaken belief that there phone is actually there (it might be dumped in the yard, or nearby). In one ot two occasions, when we knock on the door, the honest homeowner has the phone that their " daughter found at the park " or whatever explanation.

We live in an area with a lot of woods behind us and across the street. One night cops knocked on our door to alert us of missing girl from nearby middle school and asked if we minded that they search our property because last cell phone ping was in front of our property. I said no problem watch the dog and deer poop. They found nothing.

Please listen to this podcast episode. You are describing an issue that has been documented before.

https://gimletmedia.com/shows/reply-all/n8hodm

It could be innocent. When my husband left his phone in an Uber, I saw his location was in a house a few miles from us. We went over there, knocked on the door, and asked politely if they had it (and asked if anyone in the house drove for Uber). The lady who answered said no so we left. I guess she may have thought we were casing her house, but we were genuinely just looking for a lost phone. We knew the signal wasn’t super accurate but figured it couldn’t hurt to ask.

We ended up leaving a note on two cars on the street with Uber stickers on their windshields. Both drivers called me, and it turns out one of them had the phone and my husband was able to go pick it up.

The same thing happened to my wife, fortunately we have a big black German shepherd that barks at strangers. When the dog showed up the man said”well you don’t look like someone who would steal my IPhone “, and left.

Simple. If they believe their property in your possession call law enforcement for them. NEVER open your door for strangers.

I’ve seen this 3xs in the last week

I believe it's a trick to get you to open the door. Once you do,others are out os the camera view and will push their way into your house for robery of cash and jewels ect.

I just watched The Pillowcase Murders on Paramount. Basically, some asshole went to grandmothers doors in assisted living, knocked on the doors, said he was checking for leaks, then murdered them and sold their jewelry.

The excuses are always different, but it’s a way to get into your house by shoving the door in or distracting you and having an accomplice try to get in the back door. Then they run through your house grabbing jewelry, cash, etc. And you get beaten up.

Don’t open the door for any of these guys.

Tell them you’re calling the police and they can wait for them to come. Capture them on your doorbell camera video.

Always keep a deadbolt on your front and back doors locked. tell your parents/kids to do the same. I have eufy cameras all over my house inside my windows, facing out. They are set up to automatically record when they see a person and to alert me on my phone.

I can also watch the perimeter of my house from my phone in real time.

This documentary scared the shit out of me, and I’ve lived in fucking Jersey my whole life https://www.tvfanatic.com/2024/05/the-true-story-behind-paramount-plus-s-pillowcase-murders-docuse/

It's usually an attempt to case the joint for a later break-in. Or getting you to open the security door to rob you right then and there.

He may have been able to contact Apple to make it ring very loudly, if that was the case. It’s like an alarm. Good job not letting him in.

My friend had me search for his missing iphone which said it was at or near a downtown car park near a real estate firm. That wasn't correct, it was on his desk where he'd left it 2 or so blocks away.

They are potential criminals. This is more than just a scam deal. It's good your home have camera. You should report this to the police as soon as possible. 

Our iPhone got stolen in a foreign country. We tracked the signal to an apartment building. We went to file a police report. The phone then pinged from another spot, and the police took us there. They checked out some trash cans as I called the phone, but we couldn’t hear anything, and then the signal vanished again.

Dejected, we went back to our car… and found the phone under the seat 🫢

So yeah, that signal is inaccurate and can lead you to the wrong person’s house. But OP’s story sounds like a scam or worse.

Scam robbery attempt call police

If my phone is missing and I am hell bent on finding it I'm talking to the cops. This is really sketchy

Just to be devils advocate here … I lost my phone and it showed at a random house … I went there and they said they didn’t have it but I left my gf’s number anyway. They called me later to let me know that they spoke to their neighbour who had actually found it on a bus and brought it home with the view to bring it to police next day. The tracking isn’t fully accurate … if he has lost his phone it could also be at any of the houses in the surrounding area.

He placed his Backpack near your door? Perhaps he had a scanner in there and tried to copy the signal from your car keys or sth like that.

We had a problem where I grew up where women would come to the door panicking and saying they need help, to let them in, and a bunch of men would be waiting either to muscle in with her or for her to unlock the door for them later. Telling them to call the police or offering to call the police yourself was probably the best thing you could do, warn your neighbors and stay safe!

Could have had an antenna rig in the backpack and was cloning your keyfobs.

Stay strapped or get clapped...

You 1000% avoided being robbed by not opening your door. Not for nothing I would rather deal with a petty theft charge then have my house robbed by armed people

"hello, before I engage with you, could you please smile for the camera?"

Someone just posted a very similar scam here last week .

Find my iPhone is not accurate. I live in a 64x 48 building located on a corner. iPhone showed me at opposite side of building. I think it’s accurate to maybe 75’ depending on terrain and distance from cell towers

A few years ago we had two local police officers show up at our door stating that a stolen iPhone was located in our house. The officers were very legit. They said the phone had been stolen with a backpack and some location service map placed it in our house. I said sorry we don't steal iPhones and my age and demeanor must have convinced them I was truthful - they asked if they could look around our back yard ( I suppose to see if somebody threw the back pack over the fence) - they found nothing and left. I mentioned that there could be a margin of error in the location report and they should check the technical details - I never heard from them again.

It could very well be that the scam was non-violent and looking to score an immediate haul. If you opened the door and looked around the house together (for the phone that’s actually in the backpack outside), they grab what they can while you are distracted. Maybe even your car keys if you leave them out in the open like most people do.

They were probably checking to see if anyone was home to prepare a burglary

I've been that person, though. My kid left phone/watch at school and it pinged to one of the neighborhood houses. The police suggested we go to the person's house, ring the bell, and ask if they had kids in the same grade.

I said I didn't feel comfortable doing that, and the police had obviously had enough experience with it to know it probably wasn't at the person's house, because they sent an officer into the school on a Friday night to see if the watch wasn't actually still in kiddo's desk. It was.

Totally embarrassed...

Those things ping horribly inaccurately, and the police do tell people to ring the bell and ask if there are kids in the house. I guess this happens a lot.

Same happened here. I saw it was a stranger so I went to the front door with a gun. Told her via ring camera the phone is not here. She said she’s not leaving until I answer the door, I told her she had a gun pointed at her head. She then left. But same, she was in a car with two guys.

I would’ve called the cops right there on him and that would’ve been the end of it. I’ve had someone banged on my door with a food bag when I answered he said he’s got a food delivery. Told him no one ordered he insisted that he’s at the right place and there’s no name on the bag. I told him leave it on the ground he said he needed payment. I told him okay give me a min and I called the cops. When the cop approached he dropped the bag and started walking away , the cop was fast and apprehended him. Turns out he’s been doing this to Others in the neighborhood trying to get inside to rob them. He wouldn’t have gotten far because I’m Well protected but people would do any slick things these days to try and score a few bucks.

Possibly an overreaction but I think I’d call the cops while they were at the door spinning this yarn.

This has happened to one particular house in my neighborhood multiple times by different people. If i remember correctly, they were told that it is an issue with how the phone tower geolocates? Definitely bizarre and unsettling.

Man I don't envy you guys having to deal with possible robbers. Fortunately life looks safer around me.

Would definitely not let them in, call cops immediately

This happened to us, at near midnight, with RCMP, their cruiser right outside. It was wild, they were insisting a “young woman’s” phone was pinging in our house and that she told police a person that lived there took it. It was impossible, and we said as much, and they threatened to come back with a warrant. For a teen’s phone? At midnight? Still fucking baffled by that. Of course nothing else came of it. They left when we refused entry for the fifth time.

This happened to me when I was 15ish (4 years ago) and home alone! He banged on the door so I thought it was my brother and answered the door. He wasn’t even looking at find my iPhone, it was some other weird app. I lied and said my dad was in the shower and that my mom and brother were coming home. Never fully opened the door, never left it unattended and unlocked. It was really scary, I assumed he was casing a house for a robbery but I have no clue.