iOS phishing scam tries to connect you to AppleCare

It seems scammers are geared up to target Apple users. Within a month of a previous issue, we hear of another massive campaign targeting iPhone users. But this time, it is not a malware campaign restricted to a region, rather, it is a massive iOS phishing scam that is exploiting iCloud email addresses to bluff iPhone users.

Researchers from Ars Technica have unveiled an iOS phishing scam against iCloud email addresses that prompts the users to use fake ‘Apple Care’. The text appearing in these phishing emails appear similar to that of legit emails from Apple. Hence, the users become confused and click on the given link. As disclosed by the researcher, the text reads, “Sign-in attempt was blocked for your account [email address]. Someone just used your password to try to sign in to your profile.”

A report from ArsTechnica also highlighted how a fake Apple website went as far as to pop-up a system dialogue box prompting the user to call “AppleCare.”

ArsTechnica explains that this attempt is targeting email addresses associated with iCloud services by emailing a “critical alert” for a blocked sign-in attempt. In the email is a link to check account activity.

When you click that link, you’re taken to an Indian website that disguises itself as Apple’s own support website. You don’t actually get too far on that site, however, as iOS will immediately pop up with a system dialogue box that prompts a call to “AppleCare.” The researcher called the line and got a chance to speak to ‘Lance Roger’ from (fake) Apple Care, who then dropped the call after suspecting the researcher.

“India-based tech support scams have taken a new turn, using phishing emails targeting Apple users to push them to a fake Apple website. This phishing attack also comes with a twist—it pops up a system dialogue box to start a phone call. The intricacy of the phishing and the formatting of the webpage could convince some users that their phone has been “locked for illegal activity” by Apple, luring users into soon clicking to complete the call.”