PSA: Beware of Hackers Posing as Apple Support
Credit: Di_Ilikaeva / Adobe Stock
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A Tucson, Arizona, man just fell victim to a new version of a previous Apple Support scam. In the past, Apple customers have received phone calls from crooks impersonating Apple Support. They even went as far as spoofing actual Apple Support phone numbers so the call appeared legitimate. One Florida resident lost $16,000 in the scheme.
Recently, a Tucson resident (who wishes to remain anonymous) told a local news outlet he lost $2,000 after being deceived by a text message he thought was from Apple Support. The text alerted the man to supposedly unauthorized billing activity and included a phone number to call to resolve the issue. He did that, and suspects the hacker was able to install malware on his iPhone to obtain access to his Chase bank account.
This Apple Support text scam has been prevalent over the last year. Apple’s community forum includes multiple reports of iPhone users receiving similar, if not identical, text messages, masquerading as Apple Support. Here’s an example.
[Apple Security Alert] We have noticed that your Apple id was recently used at “APPLE STORE” for $143.95, paid by Apple Pay Pre Authorization. Also some suspicious sign in request and apple pay activation request detected. That looks like suspicious to us. In order to maintain the security and privacy of your account we have placed those request on hold. If NOT you? Please Call +1 to talk to an Apple Representative. Failing may lead to auto debit and charge will not be reversed. Call immediately to cancel this charge.
Have a great day!
The man says Chase flagged multiple charges in the $500 range; they reversed their decision on two charges totaling $2,000, one made on Alibaba.com and another in Singapore. Chase claims those transactions were “authorized by the customer with no evidence of fraudulent account takeover or of a compromised device.”
This story should serve as another reminder to think twice before responding to a suspicious text or answering a call from an unknown or unfamiliar number. If you’re prompted to call a number you suspect is legitimate, take a moment to verify the number on your own first. Apple also provides resources on how to protect yourself against these common scams and report them. When in doubt, never respond to a suspicious text, click any links in it, or call the number provided. There’s no guarantee of recovering your stolen funds.
