[jakejarvis]

Similar story here, but instead of a phishing email it was a legit Find My iPhone email six months later saying her phone pinged from Morocco.

So yup, sounds like they’ve either resorted to stripping them for parts or selling them whole (and still firmware-locked) to innocent buyers in places where you’d have practically no legal recourse — who then become victims to the theft as well, ironically. And by then, of course, you’ve likely had a new phone for long enough to not lose much sleep over it.