All iPhones have a unique IMEI and serial number. AT&T knows the IMEI of your iphone and Apple iTunes knows the SN of your iphone. If someone steals your iphone, when they go to AT&T, instead of AT&T saying "hey, the owner of this IMEI notified us that this phone is stolen" they say "sure, we'll activate this phone for you." In addition, if the phone is plugged in to iTunes, the SN will be displayed. Apple has a way of knowing what your SN is, yet even if I tell them a particular SN was stolen, they don't care. They'll let the person wipe the phone and add it to their iTunes account. Why would they do this Sell more phones Sell more wireless plans The numbers are already in their system - AT&T knows the IMEI and iTunes knows the SN. Why on earth wouldn't they notify local authorities if someone presents them with a stolen phone Why are they feeding the iphone theft industry Why are they supporting the thieves AT&T and Apple need to be responsible and do the right thing and stop working with thieves!