Picture this: your phone was stolen last week, and out of nowhere you get a call. The voice on the line says they're from Apple Support. They explain that someone just walked into an Apple Store with your device and tried to unlock it, and they need you to confirm you're the owner by reading out your passcode. It sounds helpful. It's not. That caller is likely an AI agent, and it's the newest weapon in a phishing-as-a-service operation called AnonyMousKIT.
The $0.10 call that unlocks a stolen phone
The operation, uncovered by researchers at SOCRadar, has been running since early 2024. This isn't a lone scammer working a burner phone. AnonyMousKIT is connected to 506 domains and powers a sprawling reseller economy with 168 storefront brands, all built around stolen iPhones, harvested Apple IDs, iCloud backups, and Keychain credentials.
The numbers show just how cheap this kind of AI voice phishing has become. SOCRadar recovered records of 200 calls made to victims between August 2025 and May 2026, with 55 interaction transcripts handled by a voice AI agent operating under five personas. Each attempt costs the operator about $0.10. Ninety percent of those calls targeted Brazil, and the wider campaigns were concentrated in South Africa, Indonesia, Italy, India, and Kenya, though a small percentage of phishing emails reached government and corporate inboxes.
How a stolen iPhone gets "unlocked"
Apple's Activation Lock is normally a strong deterrent. When Find My is turned on, the device stays tied to the owner's Apple Account, and even a factory reset can't clear it without a valid authorization code. That's why most stolen iPhones get stripped for parts. Unlocked, they're worth far more, especially when the owner's data comes along for the ride.
AnonyMousKIT's trick is to go after the owner instead of the lock. Using contact details pulled from Lost Mode, the platform reaches out by email, SMS, WhatsApp, or phone, impersonating Apple with the correct model and IMEI details so the message looks convincing. The victim lands on a fake Find My or Apple page and is asked to enter their device passcode, Apple Account login, and two-factor authentication code.
Then the AI agent takes the stage. Under an "Alice from Apple Support" persona, it tells victims that someone brought their phone to an Apple Store, where the device was retained. The agent asks them to confirm ownership by dictating the passcode, then steers them to the phishing page. With those codes in hand, attackers can pull personal data, factory reset the device, remove it from Find My, and resell it at full value.
What to do if a "found your phone" call feels off
A stolen iPhone is bad enough. A compromised Apple ID can be worse, because it can expose iCloud backups, Keychain passwords, work email, and corporate information sitting on employer-issued devices. That's where the real damage happens.
The rules are simple. Apple will never ask for your passcode, ever, so anyone who does is a scammer. Don't trust unsolicited "we found your device" messages; open iCloud or Find My directly in a browser instead of following links. Turn on Stolen Device Protection, use passkeys where available, and keep two-factor authentication active. And if a caller asks you to read out a code, hang up and verify through official channels.
Bottom line
AI didn't invent phone theft, but it just made the resale business a whole lot easier. At $0.10 per call, a voice agent can work through thousands of owners in a day, and it only needs one slip. The cheapest defense is a healthy dose of suspicion, because the most convincing Apple Support you'll ever hear might be a bot.
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License: CC BY 2.0, "Malware Infection" by Visual Content