Scammers have devised a new phishing method for iPhone users: find out how to avoid being a victim.
Bypass Apple’s security measures.
Scammers have found a new tactic that is being used against iPhone users. Instead of directly sending malicious links, they are now manipulating victims into responding to their messages, which disables Apple’s scam protection.
iOS has built-in tools to protect users from fraud, one of which is the disabling of links in SMS messages coming from unknown numbers. However, it seems that scammers have found a way to bypass these security measures. By responding to a message from an unknown sender, the system interprets that the user trusts that communication, reactivating the links.
An example of this includes messages that ask victims to respond, which in turn would reactivate a previously disabled malicious link. For instance, an intercepted message contained instructions that said: “Please reply Y, then close the text message, reopen the activation link in the message or copy the link into the Safari browser to open it.” This tactic plays on users' routine of automatically responding to texts that seem to be from automated services.
To protect against these scams, it is essential not to respond to unexpected messages from unknown senders that contain links. Responding will not only reactivate the links but also confirm to the scammer that the number is active and that the user is willing to interact with fraudulent messages. If a suspicious message is received, the best course of action is to ignore it and report it as spam. If there are doubts about the legitimacy of a message, it is advisable to contact the company directly through official channels, which allows confirming whether the message is authentic or not.
Staying alert to these fraud attempts is crucial to avoid falling into their traps.
