Scammers are doing their best to get your Apple account information so it’s up to you to keep your eye out for any signs that someone might be trying to dupe you.
If there’s one guarantee in our lives, it’s that someone out there is actively trying to steal our data and money at any given time. A new Apple ID phishing scam has been uncovered, taking the form of an email from Apple Support. The phishing email tells users that their Apple ID has been suspended, causing them to become alarmed and respond instinctively to protect their data by clicking on the links in the email.
With over 2 billion active Apple product users, the scam has the potential to cause considerable damage across the globe if left unaddressed. There is no data available on how many people have received or been affected by the “Apple ID suspended” iPhone warning, however, it’s best to play it safe and ensure you don’t join the ranks of those affected.
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An Apple ID Phishing Scam Is Making the Rounds—Here’s What You Need to Know
The iPhone Apple ID scam is being executed via an almost authentic email from what looks to be Apple Support. The email follows similar formatting you might expect from Apple and includes a warning that due to suspicious or unusual activity, your Apple ID has been suspended. The email also includes a button or link to redirect you to take action to restore or review your account activity, which users are likely to click to learn more about their information.
A user who might not pay close attention to the sender ID is likely to click on the link immediately to protect their account or make the next logical move to change their password. A simple solution to this is to open up the Apple account yourself through a separate tab that has nothing to do with links in the email, but due to the appearance of authenticity in the email, users might just click the link instead.
Apple Users Face Multiple Major Scams in 2024
This is not the first major scam faced by Apple users this year. There is another malicious attack going around where users receive an email informing them that their iCloud storage is almost full. This prompts users to click on the clink for an upgrade, which some are likely to do to learn more about their options.
Email and phone scams back in the day were easier to point out due to the language used or the errors in the email content that an official piece of communication would not have, but things have changed today.
With the rise of AI, it has become much easier for scammers to draft more authentic messages that reflect the content in an official email, text, or phone call. This is why users have to be more alert while clicking on links or responding to any communication, no matter what the format.
We are all aware that we need to keep our passwords and account details private, but we tend to let our guard down when it comes to clicking on links on seemingly official pages. It is always safer to look at an email as a scam first and then use the tools at your disposal to verify whether or not your assumption is correct.
How to Protect Yourself From the iPhone Apple ID Scam or Other Phishing Emails
When opening emails, it’s best to treat them all with some degree of healthy suspicion and do so with a calm mind. Phishing attacks work so well because they rely on your sense of urgency to blind you to the signs that they are running a scam. Whether your Apple ID has been suspended or stolen, there’s nothing panic will do to solve the issue.
Paying attention to the contents of the email and the sender ID is equally critical. A quick search might be able to tell what the official ID of communication will be, allowing you to cross-check the sender of the email. All communications from official accounts will include links with clear URLs that match the company website.
Another way to avoid falling prey to the Apple ID phishing scam is to open up your account through official channels. Don’t click on the links in the email; go to the app or website yourself to see whether you have a notification or verify whether there are any signs of suspicious activity.
A good way to preempt any attacks on your account is to set up two-factor authentication to make it harder for someone to access your data with just the password. Additionally, if you suspect an email is a scam, it’s best to report the email so your ID provider is alerted to the possibility of an attack. Apple suggests you contact [email protected] if you encounter any evidence of a scammer pretending to be the company.
With Black Friday deals and other major holiday shopping events occurring right now, users need to be particularly cautious about the lures that scammers are throwing out to them. If a deal is too good to be true, trust that it might just be a fake offer. Make purchases only from trusted sources and avoid entering your personal data or bank information on any platform that appears to be in the least bit suspicious.
Investing in a VPN, anti-virus software, and password manager are also good long-term solutions to stay safe online.
