Don’t worry if you received a message alerting you that your Apple account has been hacked or suspended. A large-scale phishing campaign is currently underway to steal your login credentials.
If you use an iPhone, iPad, Mac, AppleTV or access the iCloud online storage service, you must have an Apple account. It is required to connect to your device and to link it to the Apple brand’s various services. This is the case, for example, when you want to access your iCloud space, configure the Face Time app or a new device, download content from Apple Music or the App Store, etc. In short, it’s the key to accessing all your Apple devices and all activities related to the brand. In total, two billion users have one next to nothing! No wonder it’s a prime target for cybercriminals! The latter have also developed a formidable phishing campaign to get hold of it, as reported Forbes.
Apple account: a formidable phishing campaign
The phishing campaign, sent by email or SMS, takes several forms. In the first, the scammer makes you believe that your Apple IDs have been suspended due to a security issue. The message tells you that suspicious activity has been detected or that your account has been hacked altogether. In both cases, you are encouraged to click on a link or a button and enter your identifiers. It’s about creating a sense of urgency in you to prevent you from stepping back and thinking, and thus pushing you to click on a link to “secure” your account.
Also be wary if you receive a text message saying your iCloud storage is full and Apple is offering you a “free upgrade” through a link – it’s too good to be true, the company never does anything for free! In all cases, the link takes you to a perfect clone of the official Apple website, often protected by a CAPTCHA to give the appearance of legitimacy. All that remains for cybercriminals to do is collect your credentials.
Also, keep in mind that Apple will never ask you for your security codes, passwords or authentication by email or SMS. Beware of clickable links and always check the URL before doing anything. Prefer to connect directly from the official Apple interface rather than via a link received.
If you are ever the target of a scam online, by email or by SMS, immediately forward the message to 33 700, a platform specializing in reporting scams, to Signal Spam or to Pharos. You can also report these fraudulent messages to the site internet-signalement.gouv.fr. Then block the sender’s number to no longer be bothered and delete the message in question.