Did Apple Send You a Purchase Alert? It’s an iPhone Scam — What To Do

A new scam is on the rise, and it is targeting innocuous people in the name of Apple. Several people have reported they have received a message, telling them that their iPhone purchase “has been approved.” While the text appears to have been sent by Apple, it is not. It is part of a new scam where bad actors are luring people into clicking a link embedded in the text, only to trick them into handing them over their personal data, including their Apple ID credentials.

The message reads: “Apple Approval Notice: Your purchase of $143.95 has been approved.” It also contains a link and a phone number — which recipients are advised not to engage with. According to a report by Mac Observer, the message claims calling the mentioned mobile number is part of Apple’s security-related protocols, aiming to convince recipients to share their contact information. Calling this number will make users speak to a human, who will ask for personal details, such as Apple ID, credit card, or bank passwords.

Another variant of this scam talks about the hacking of the recipient’s Apple ID for an “unauthorised” purchase. It reads: “[Apple Security Alert] We have noticed that your Apple id was recently used at “APPLE STORE” for $143.95, paid by Apple Pay Pre Authorisation. Also some suspicious sign-in request and apple pay activation request detected. That looks like suspicious to us. In order to maintain the security and privacy of your account we have placed those request on hold.” The message then urges the recipient to call a number to “immediately” cancel the “charge.”

While the origin of this message is unclear, it is a new scam, targeting people who want to own an iPhone. The cheapest iPhone from Apple’s latest portfolio costs $599, so while the offer that claims the price of less than $145 can be tempting, it is too good to be true.

What to do

— Users should ignore messages like this because Apple never sends users text messages other than OTPs during the sign-in process.

— Report the message to the authorities, including Apple, informing them about the message's contents and the sender’s details.

— Change the passwords of the Apple ID, bank accounts, and other sensitive credentials.

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