For many years, we Apple users felt insulated from the world of viruses and malware. But with the rise of phishing scams that feeling of relative safety faded. Now, our sense of security is gone completely. Welcome to the age of scams specifically targeting Apple users and customers.
How the Apple iPhone phishing scam works
This phishing scam doesn’t involve email, but an automated voice call that spoofs Apple’s phone number. Because every iPhone comes with a default contact for Apple, the call appears to be from Apple support. Krebs on Security reported this story first when a security consultant was taken in by it. The following image comes from that story.
At first, you might wonder how someone could initiate a fake call with so much detail. Actually, if you’re an iPhone user, it’s not hard. Followers of Krebs on Security pointed out that it’s the default contact card for Apple that adds credibility to this scam. If you’re an iPhone user, go to Contacts and search for Apple. You’ll find a contact card that displays the same information shown here including the logo, phone number, address, and homepage.
What at first appears to be a very sophisticated telephone phishing scam is actually nothing more than a case of CallerID spoofing. What makes this scam dangerous is the potential for it to trick an iPhone user into thinking they’re being called by Apple support because of that pesky contact card.
Tips to avoid robocall phishing scams
Fortunately, you can avoid becoming a victim of a robocall phishing scam by following a few basic rules.
- Delete the contact information for organizations you don’t deal with regularly. If you need their current phone number, go to their website for the most recent contact information.
- Never answer a phone call from a number you don’t recognize. Mobile call scams made up 29.2% of all call volume in 2018. Experts believe the percentage could double in 2019.
- Never give out your personal information if you do answer a call by mistake. Simply hang up and consider blocking the number.
Phishing is nothing but an illegal attempt or a scamp as well that is done by all kind of unauthorized persons to steal the users’ sensitive information. The users must secure or must use all the necessary protective features to secure their digital media based platforms in an appropriate manner.