How Hackers and Scammers Break into iCloud-Locked iPhones

Many owners use the device’s Find My iPhone feature, which lets a customer log into an Apple website and easily see their phone’s precise location on a map, as well as remotely lock their device, which makes it much harder to resell, and worth much less than an unlocked, factory-reset phone. The iPhone passcode will unlock the screen, whereas the iCloud password can be used to remove features such as Find My iPhone, Activation Lock, and to associate the phone with a new Apple account, which is critical when a phone is resold. According to three professionals in the independent repair and iPhone refurbishing businesses, used iPhones—including some iCloud-locked devices—are sold in bulk at private “carrier auctions” where companies like T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint, ATT, and cell phone insurance providers sell their excess inventory (often through third-party processing companies.)

Source: www.vice.com