Alex Thomas Sadler

For whatever reason, smartphones have caused people to let their guard down
-- and scammers are taking advantage of the fact that many people will open
just any text or email they receive on their phone.

But as these scams continue to evolve, criminals are still finding effective
ways to target consumers using many of the same old tactics that have been
around for a whole lot longer than smartphones.

After a recent attack targeted Apple users via text message, scammers are now
going after them in a different way.

According to a recent report, criminals are calling Apple iCloud users and
claiming that their account has been hacked.

The caller claims to be from Apple's support team in an effort to trick
unsuspecting victims into handing over access to their computer or account,
according to Daily Beast senior editor Michael Weiss, who received one of
these calls himself recently.

While some scams may have one very clear goal or mission, whether it's to get
a certain piece of information or convince the victim to take some sort of
action like wiring money, it's unclear what exactly the crooks are after in
this case.

Nevertheless, there are always a few things you can assume scammers are after
and some common tactics to always look out for.
Variations of the scam and how it works

Very often what happens with scams like this one -- when criminals claim one
of your accounts has been compromised -- the crooks may tell you that you
need to give them remote access to your computer so they can restore your
account. Then once you do that, they can gain access to any and all
information stored inside the device, including sensitive documents, account
logins, banking information etc.

And we've seen this type of scam involving fake customer support or fake
account problems carried out in several different ways -- including phone
calls, fake emails and text messages, as well as fake pop-up alerts and
notifications.

However the scam is delivered, the goal is to trick unsuspecting victims into
believing that they've been hacked, their information has been stolen or
their personal data is at risk. The scammers then try to convince you that
the only way to solve the issue is by handing over personal info, like an
account password, Social Social number or remote access to your device.

Beware of iMessage and Apple ID hacks

This new scam comes not long after another recent attack on Apple users.

According to a report by Mashable, users have been reporting "hack attacks"
tied to their iMessage and Apple ID accounts -- and it's happening on both
computers and smartphones.

One of Mashable's own employees first spotted the scam when she received a
message, written in Chinese, to her computer's iMessage account from a
foreign phone number. She then got a notification from Apple that her Apple
ID was being used on another device.

The notification only provided one option -- to click "OK." And after
clicking that button, the Mashable employee says her iMessage account
immediately received message after message from a foreign number, again with
text written in Chinese.

She changed her Apple ID password and security questions, and then contacted
Apple Support. Apple said it's probably hackers trying to steal personal
information and that the hack is fairly new, but the company's developers are
working on a solution. Apple did not know whether the user's personal
information had been exposed.

If you think your Apple ID may have been compromised, Apple has a resource
page with more information.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204145?cid=tw_sr

How to protect yourself from similar scams

The problem is only getting worse. In fact, the IRS found that tax-related
phishing scams were up 400% last year -- and that data only includes scams
related to tax season. 

​The reality is, there are new threats to your privacy and security every
day -- so it's crucial to make sure you take the right steps to protect your
personal information.

Bottom line: Even if a message appears to be from a trusted source, don't
trust it!

Here's a general rule of thumb for avoiding these types of scams: Do not
click on any link in any email or text message that you were not expecting.
If there's a question and you think there's a legitimate message or
notification intended for you, go directly to the official website of
whatever business it is and check for any notifications there.

If you receive a message from an unknown number, delete it! Don't open it,
don't click anything -- just delete it. It's better to be safe than sorry.

If a company needs you to update your profile, you should be able to find
that information by logging in to your account separately through the
official site -- or by calling the company directly.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A31 (Windows)