A new scam targeting iPhone owners has been spotted out in the wild, the phishing scam entices users to click through to a link – claiming their devices have been hacked and data is being stolen. The scam presents its self in a pop up message purporting to be from Apple.
The message requests the user hand over £50 or risk loosing all of their devices data. The user is prompted to dial either 0800 6524895 or 0800 2796211. Should a user fall for the message and submit their card details, nothing will change on their device, but the users bank balance will deplete by at least £50.
There are a few important things to note; firstly Apple would never contact iPhone owners using push messages, secondly they’re unlikely to pick up on the fact someone is stealing your data. Whats more, it would be almost impossible (unless jailbroken) for someone to connect on remotely and steal data stored on iPhones
The message seems to have foxed some users, however its quite an easy fix to get rid of it without having to pay the premium.
From the home screen, swipe up from the bottom of the iPhone then switch the device to Airplane mode. Now, head over to Settings and Safari, scroll down and tap ‘Clear History and Website Data’. Now scroll back up the screen and swipe to turn on ‘Block Pop-ups’ this will prevent any future pop-ups occurring.
Thanks to Ben Mortimer for the heads up on this one.