“Register your IMEI to unlock iCloud”: why those sites are a scam

Search for a way to unlock an iCloud-locked iPhone and you’ll soon find sites asking you to “register” the phone’s IMEI so that Apple will unlock it. They often have official-sounding web addresses and pages that look a lot like Apple’s. They aren’t Apple, and registering won’t unlock anything.

Apple doesn’t unlock phones this way

Apple keeps Activation Lock on its own servers, linked to the Apple ID that set the phone up. There is no register, list or queue you can add an IMEI to that makes Apple remove it. Apple’s only websites for this are apple.com and icloud.com.

Apple will remove the lock for the owner who has the original proof of purchase, through an Activation Lock support request. That’s the official route, and it doesn’t involve registering anything on a third-party site.

How these sites work

The details vary, but most follow the same pattern.

1. 1

   A page that looks official

   You land on a page styled like Apple’s, with a form asking for the IMEI and often your email address.

2. 2

   A convincing “check”

   After you enter the IMEI, the site shows a progress bar and a message that your phone is “eligible” or “approved”. It hasn’t checked anything.

3. 3

   The catch

   To finish, you’re asked to pay a “registration” or “processing” fee, download an app, complete surveys, or sign in with your Apple ID.

4. 4

   Nothing happens

   The phone stays locked. Sometimes you’re asked for more money for a “final step”.

How to spot one

• The web address isn’t apple.com or icloud.com. Look carefully: an address like “unlock-icloud-register” or one with “apple” buried in the middle isn’t Apple.
• It promises every iPhone can be unlocked. No genuine service can promise that.
• It says your phone is approved straight away without asking whether it’s yours.
• It wants payment you can’t dispute, such as a bank transfer to a person, gift cards or cryptocurrency.
• It asks for your Apple ID password, or asks you to sign in to unlock.
• It’s free until the last step, which needs a download, a survey or a payment.

If you’ve already used one

Don’t be embarrassed. These sites are designed to look convincing, and plenty of careful people are caught out. Act quickly on whichever of these applies.

• You typed in your Apple ID password: change it straight away from the Settings app or apple.com, then check the list of devices signed in to your account and remove any you don’t recognise.
• You paid by card: contact your card provider, explain that you paid for a service that wasn’t provided, and ask about a chargeback.
• You paid another way: contact your bank or the payment service as soon as you can. The sooner they know, the better the chance of stopping or recovering the money.
• You installed something: remove it, and if it was on a computer, run a security scan.
• Report it: you can forward fake Apple pages and emails to reportphishing@apple.com, and report fraud to the police’s fraud reporting service where you live.

What genuinely works

There are only a few real ways the lock comes off for good.

1. 1

   The owner removes it

   Whoever’s Apple ID is on the phone signs in at icloud.com and removes the phone from their account. If you bought it second-hand, ask the seller.

2. 2

   Apple, with proof of purchase

   If the phone is yours and you have the original receipt, Apple will look at an Activation Lock request.

3. 3

   A genuine removal service

   One that checks the phone first, refuses phones reported lost or stolen, never asks for your password and tells you plainly if it can’t help.

We’ve written about how to tell a genuine service from a scam, and about getting a used iPhone released by the seller. If you want to know exactly what’s on your phone, you can start with a diagnosis.