XIAOMI MI 8 unusual problem

[J Dubbs]

Find my Device comes pre - installed on my 2 Xiaomi phones, and with yours.

I don't think you want to follow some advice for reasons known to you, and I don't think you are revealing everything.

You also seem to know a lot more than I do (as I'm just an end user)

If the phone is locked by someone I don't think Safe Mode will open it, but I could be wrong.

I don't know when or where you acquired it, but you should be able to resurrect the Mi account and the Google account for the phone without needing that phone, and so get help from Xiaomi and Google to recover your phone. Good luck.

Good point... things that make you go hmmm lol.