iPhones are expensive, and most people have a ton of personal information on them. You may feel confident in allowing this info to be on your phone because you can lock up your device. Not only that, but if the phone is lost or stolen, you can erase the data.

Since your phone requires your face, passcode, or fingerprint to unlock it, there is also less incentive for thieves to take the device. After all, a stolen phone is pretty useless when someone has the physical phone in their hand but cannot do anything with it. 

Now, a new scam targeting iPhone users may render many of these protections meaningless.

Officials alerting phone users of the new scam have warned that thieves have found a workaround for the extensive protections in place on Apple devices.

Fortunately, it is a workaround that phone owners can 100% avoid if they are aware of the issue.

Before reporting that your iPhone has been stolen, be aware of this scam.

Image source: Hadrian/Shutterstock

New scam targets iPhone users

An alert about the new scam came from the Swiss National Cyber Security Center, but it is a warning that applies to phone users nationwide.

According to a news release from the Swiss Center:

As Malwarebytes Labs explains, an iPhone feature meant to maximize the chances that a phone would be returned is actually creating a big risk of being scammed.

The issue is that when you use the Find My app created by Apple to report your phone has been stolen, you have the option to create a custom lock screen message.

This lock screen message often includes your contact details because, after all, you want to make it easy for people to find you.

Unfortunately, this means if criminals have your phone, they now have access to your contact details when you do this. And they are using that information you provided to perpetrate their new scam. 

iPhone users face major privacy and security risk

The Swiss National Cyber Security Center provided additional details on how the scam works, explaining that scammers try to “exploit” the hope of your phone being returned.

“They send text messages or iMessages that appear to come from Apple, claiming that the lost iPhone has been found abroad. To make the messages look convincing, they include accurate details of the missing device – such as its model, colour, and storage capacity – which the scammers can read directly from the phone itself,” the Center said. 

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When scammers send this info, they also include a link that looks like it is showing the location of the device, but which instead leads to a fake website. When you input your Apple ID and password on the website, you give control over your account to the scammers. 

Once the scammer has your ID, they can do just about anything they want with the phone – including wiping the data and reselling it, or accessing personal information you have on the device. 

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“Although the NCSC didn’t say so, an enterprising thief could get up to all kinds of other shenanigans,” explained Malwarebytes Labs.

“They might reset the user’s Apple ID to lock them out — even on a replacement device, access their photos (yes, including any risqué ones), read their emails, and nose through their apps. In short, it would give them carte blanche to your digital life.”

Protecting yourself from the iPhone scam

If you want to stay safe from this scam, there are a few best practices to follow, including the following:

  • Ignore any messages asking for your credentials or claiming your phone has been found, as Apple won’t contact you by text message to tell you that your phone has turned up.
  • Never click on a link in an unsolicited email. Go directly to the Apple site if you need to.
  • Enable Lost Mode on your phone as soon as possible to lock up your device. 
  • Limit which contact details are on your lock screen to try to avoid scam calls.

By taking these steps, you can ensure your phone doesn’t end up being resold – and that your details don’t fall into the hands of criminals.

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