iPhone 16
A new scam has surfaced online that is targeting iPhone users in particular. It is a phishing scam where scammers trick iPhone users into disabling the iPhone’s built-in security system to allow scammers to get access to the device. It is difficult to surpass Apple’s walled ecosystem, but once someone gets in, they have all the access to your personal and sensitive information. To avoid falling for a situation like this, read this story carefully.
The scam begins when an iPhone user gets a fraud message, the message can say that there have been some issues with the shipment of some product, or there are unpaid tolls. One such message reads: “Please reply Y, then exit the message, reopen it to activate the link, or copy and paste the link into your Safari browser to open it.” For this, the scammers play on the tendency of users to reply with “YES” or “STOP” when such a message arrives.
The messages look authentic and hence some iPhone users end up replying to them. That’s where things go downhill. Apple’s iMessage automatically disables links from unknown senders to protect users from potential phishing attacks. However, if a recipient replies to such a message or adds the sender to their contact list, the links are reactivated.
Cybersecurity news site, BleepingComputer has reported a spike in such smishing attacks in the past month. Once the security wall is surpassed, the scammers might not react immediately. They might share links later in the future where the victim might end up clicking and sharing their personal or financial details.
To protect yourself from scams like this, avoid replying to unknown numbers, especially if prompted to enable links or click them. Also, verify the messages and their sources. Stay safe!
