iPad iPad locked with unrecognized Apple ID

[kjreidesq]

*****@pp.com

53kyle

I have researched it extensively and have not been able to resolve it and that is why I am hoping smarter heads than mine on this forum have any suggestions

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https://discussions.apple.com/message/26374767#26374767

 

[kjreidesq]

No, if you did ANY sort of internet research, there is NO way to bypass the activation lock. Also, I know it is possible that you are telling the truth, but nothing about this story seems legit, especially since the email that you mentioned is different in the thread title and the OP.

EDIT: Upon googling it, I also found out that "pp.com" and "qq.com" are websites, and it is unlikely that an email would use those domains. On another note, I suppose you could've put those emails as placeholders and I could seem really stupid right now.

Hmm.

I maybe a newbie to Mac Rumours but I am certainly not a newbie to to Apple.
I am an experienced, proficient Apple user since the 80s and have run my own website company since 1997.

The account I have posted is 100% true, and like others before me I have avidly researched the problem but have yet not come up with a suitable solution.
If you follow my links you will see that this is not a problem that I alone have posted on.

My main point is that the Apple id is always changed to an email @pp.com, so that is the common clue.

I want to highlight this issue because I believe it may some kind malware that is attacking Apple products.

If you have any more helpful suggestions I would be most grateful to read them

 

[kjreidesq]

It looks like that device has may have been erased, and is now linked to a *****@pp.com account, so when the owner is being prompted for the Apple ID and password during the device setup and activation process, he is of course unable to comply and therefore is locked out of his iPad 4.

 

[kjreidesq]

Clarification:

I want to clarify that it is not actually his iCloud account that has been hacked, it is the iPad itself that has been affected. His iCloud account is still fine but it is no longer the Apple ID that is linked to his iPad, so somehow the Apple ID has been changed.

 

[I7guy]

It's possible his Apple ID was hacked. If you hack an Apple ID you can change the password and email address. Was 2FA turned on? Was a simple password used?

You friend may be able to reclaim the Apple ID, or unfortunately dump it and start anew.

As long as your friend can get to his iCloud account, he can resetup the iPad.

 

[kjreidesq]

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6095759

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It's possible his Apple ID was hacked. If you hack an Apple ID you can change the password and email address. Was 2FA turned on? Was a simple password used?

You friend may be able to reclaim the Apple ID, or unfortunately dump it and start anew.

As long as your friend can get to his iCloud account, he can resetup the iPad.

Thank you for your reply . It is not actually his iCloud account that has been hacked, it is the iPad itself that has been affected. His iCloud account is still fine but it is no longer the Apple ID that is linked to his iPad, so somehow the Apple ID has been changed.Unfortunately he can't reset up his iPad because it is now linked to a different Apple id.

 

[I7guy]

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6095759

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Thank you for your reply . It is not actually his iCloud account that has been hacked, it is the iPad itself that has been affected. His iCloud account is still fine but it is no longer the Apple ID that is linked to his iPad, so somehow the Apple ID has been changed.Unfortunately he can't reset up his iPad because it is now linked to a different Apple id.

I would start with Apple and see what they say. I'm curious about 2FA, was it on?

 

[SanjeevRana]

Here is what happened :-

When giving devices for screen repair, many shops ask the customer to remove all locks so that when its fixed, they can get into it to test out the new screen to the fullest extent.

I am guessing here that your friend was asked the same and he complied. Upon completion of repair, it seems the shop put in their own id (if its a legit shop) and restored as new and then tested it out.

Not sure why he cannot just go back to shop and ask if this was done. They should be able to login and remove the account.

However, if the shop is not so legit then I am afraid you are out of luck. They might even extort more money out of him to remove their id.

 

[kjreidesq]

Here is what happened :-

When giving devices for screen repair, many shops ask the customer to remove all locks so that when its fixed, they can get into it to test out the new screen to the fullest extent.

I am guessing here that your friend was asked the same and he complied. Upon completion of repair, it seems the shop put in their own id (if its a legit shop) and restored as new and then tested it out.

Not sure why he cannot just go back to shop and ask if this was done. They should be able to login and remove the account.

However, if the shop is not so legit then I am afraid you are out of luck. They might even extort more money out of him to remove their id.

Thanks for the reply. Much appreciated

That's exactly what happened, and as that is the only time that it was out of our hands.
We have been back to the store but they claim they had nothing to do with the problem and wouldn't be able to fix it anyway. Even for a fee. Seemed genuine enough. I don't believe that it was deliberate on their part, as I don't see what they had to gain, but I do believe that the malware got on to the iPad whilst in their possession.

By the way, the iPad carried on functioning correctly for some weeks after they repaired the screen, before the problem happened.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place...!3e2!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x988020432a8ec731!6m1!1e1

 

[iShorty]

I don't believe that it was deliberate on their part, as I don't see what they had to gain, but I do believe that the malware got on to the iPad whilst in their possession.

The iPad doesn't have 'malware' the shop has simply signed in to their Apple ID account or somebody's Apple ID which has replaced your friends Apple ID.

You're out of luck unless you find a receipt of purchase, as nobody but Apple can save it unless you find the person with the Apple ID and ask them to sign in as you restore the iPad.

 

[kjreidesq]

The iPad doesn't have 'malware' the shop has simply signed in to their Apple ID account or somebody's Apple ID which has replaced your friends Apple ID.

You're out of luck unless you find a receipt of purchase, as nobody but Apple can save it unless you find the person with the Apple ID and ask them to sign in as you restore the iPad.

Thanks for your reply. Much appreciated.

They would have needed my friends Apple ID password. They didn't have it.

If you look at the links I have posted you will see that there many people with the identical problem.

Having spent hours talking to Apple support and Apple Geniuses in store that the Apple official line that we are out of luck unless we find a receipt. And this one of the things concerns us. In the push for security to deter theft, it makes sense. But there are many people, who genuinely own a legitimate piece of Apple product that is actually in warranty (as is my friends one) that can no longer be used because they have been locked out of their own property. And the new linked Apple id is alway some version of *****@qq.com. This cannot be coincidence.

As this is happening to many people, and seems to be growing I think we should be concerned about it.

I just think that Apple need to come up with some answer to this security problem rather than just saying "no receipt, so not our problem so you're out of luck"

Thanks again for your comments

 

[Brian Y]

Some things just don't add up here.

You can't change the Apple ID on an iPad without the password. Surely, if the shop had changed Apple IDs he would have noticed someone else's email, contacts and photos on there?

Secondly - you don't have a receipt for a device as expensive as an iPad? Not an email receipt, CC transaction, or anything? Especially as it was bought new only a few months ago. Every store keeps their own copies of receipts and would be able to get it back. if it was purchased from Apple, they can find the receipt from the serial number.

There is no way for malware to get on there. Especially malware that could change the Apple ID (which, afaik, doesn't exist).

Ultimately, you have two choices. Throw it in the bin, or find the receipt and submit proof of ownership to Apple. Removing it without proof of ownership would be akin to towing a car to the dealership and asking them to remove the immobiliser without the keys or proof of ownership!

Meanwhile, these stories for how to remove activation locks get more and more in depth!

 

[C DM]

So is it @pp or @qq?

 

[saudor]

The @qq.com "stories" seem to be pretty popular on the internet though. Could also be an issue with a sketchy jailbreak too.

 

[kjreidesq]

The @qq.com "stories" seem to be pretty popular on the internet though. Could also be an issue with a sketchy jailbreak too.

Thanks for your reply

I agree. The fact that @qq.com keeps cropping up that's what peaked my interest. Had he just been compromised by someone that had no links to anyone else, then it's not much of a interest to mac rumor

This iPad 4 was as clean as a whistle. Under warranty . He's never downloaded anything that wasn't from Apple

Thanks again

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So is it @pp or @qq?

Thanks for spotting that
My apologies if I typed pp.com somewhere. I had a feeling that I had !

No it's definitely qq.com, the Chinese site

 

[kjreidesq]

I would start with Apple and see what they say. I'm curious about 2FA, was it on?

Thanks for your reply.

My friend initially took it to Apple. It's under warranty and he sensibly wanted their advice. He'd started to have a couple of niggly problems happening and they advised a reset and restore. He took the iPad and their advice home, did what they said, and that's when he got locked out of his own 4 month old iPad 4.. He went back and they told him " tough luck" so he brought it to me, knowing that I knowing that I know or two about Apple products.

However I am stumped. And I rarely am when it comes to Apple stuff. That's why I here as a Mac Rumor newbie. I can usually solve it or say "it's too ****ed. Get a new one". But saying that in this instance galls me, because he owns a perfect iPad 4th generation iPad is only months old, under warranty working piece of hardware that is now useless because of Apple security policy
What I really want out of this is help for my friend, and many like him, who are in the same position. This may well be a security flaw that only Apple themselves, taking a change of position, can help with.

However if any of you heads out there can come up with an answer to the apparently unsolvable.....

 

[I7guy]

Thanks for your reply.

My friend initially took it to Apple. It's under warranty and he sensibly wanted their advice. He'd started to have a couple of niggly problems happening and they advised a reset and restore. He took the iPad and their advice home, did what they said, and that's when he got locked out of his own 4 month old iPad 4.. He went back and they told him " tough luck" so he brought it to me, knowing that I knowing that I know or two about Apple products.

However I am stumped. And I rarely am when it comes to Apple stuff. That's why I here as a Mac Rumor newbie. I can usually solve it or say "it's too ****ed. Get a new one". But saying that in this instance galls me, because he owns a perfect iPad 4th generation iPad is only months old, under warranty working piece of hardware that is now useless because of Apple security policy
What I really want out of this is help for my friend, and many like him, who are in the same position. This may well be a security flaw that only Apple themselves, taking a change of position, can help with.

However if any of you heads out there can come up with an answer to the apparently unsolvable.....

With two factor authentication enabled, it's fairly difficult or impossible to hack an Apple ID. Without two factor authentication it's possible but not easy. But if Apple is saying no, I think you are out of luck.

 

[Shirasaki]

As someone mentioned, qq.com is an extremely widely used email service in and ONLY in China, I swear. I have many friends in China, and they all use such email address as their main apple id.

Maybe, those iPad and iPhone are bought from unknown source in China, and they bypassed some old security mechanisms in iOS 6 or older. Activation lock starts from iOS 7, so when upgrading to iOS 7, such email address will be "activated" as a security measure when refreshing the device. These are just my guess, but I know much about this **** domain. I reject to use it, although I lived in China several years.

 

[spider joker]

Hey y'all,

The other day I decided to upgrade my iPad 2 from 6.4.3 to 7.1.2 since it's been off in my closet for close to some months or so....

Well the iPad was updating as usual, but then it entered recovery mode. I connected to iTunes installed 7.1.2 then when setting up the iPad it got stuck at the Apple ID page. Login with 3•••••@qq.com..... What in the world is that!?

This iPad was bought brand new from my university, but Apple thinks it's not mine!! I've been on support since last Tuesday (7/29/14) and I am trying to find a 'valid' proof of purchase. The university store sent me a digital copy, but they don't mark the serial # or provide the purchaser's name on the receipt, only account number partially hidden. Sent that to Apple anyway... was rejected.... they called it an invalid receipt of course.

What was I supposed to do? Well I called the store back and they sent me a receipt of my MBP with all my info on the order form and the account number of purchase partially hidden. I bundled all the PDFs together and highlighted that the account used to purchase the MBP was the same as the iPad receipt. Let's hope this works if not I will go insane

OMG why did this happen to me?

This guy has similar problem except 1•••••@qq.com, Coincidence?
https://discussions.apple.com/message/26374767#26374767

I am hopefully going to get an answer from Apple to the cause of this problem and update here and on that forum as well so that others may gain.

Thanks for listening.

***If you happen to know what caused this or have a similar problem, please contact Apple and mention that post! I believe that they might have an issue with something.... don't know if it's server/database related or iOS related though...

hi is the problem solved or not because i have the same problem ?