Don't click on it, receive Apple ID remote login SMS message | AppleID | AppleID remote

"The first time I've encountered this kind of thing, it's so scary..." Recently, Apple user Xie Hong shared her almost deceived experience on social media: her Apple ID was changed 13 times by a stranger in the early morning. After a tug of war, she finally didn't let her ID be tampered with by scammers, but all data on her phone, including photos and contacts, was deleted.

She told Red Star News reporters that after receiving a so-called Apple ID remote login message, she didn't pay attention to the source of the message and directly clicked on the message prompt link to fill in her relevant information. Fortunately, she discovered it in time. The reporter learned that using Apple ID remote login SMS as a means of fraud is not an isolated case, and some people have even suffered economic losses as a result.

Apple officials remind that you must never disclose your Apple ID password or verification code to anyone, and do not click on links in suspicious or harassing information.

"Sawing" in the early morning

Account has been modified 13 times by strangers

Xie Hong introduced that recently, she received a pop-up window for logging in from an Apple phone's remote device during the day, and was now alert to clicking "Do not allow" remote login. Shortly after, I received a text message stating "There is a security issue with Apple ID" and attached a link. Due to nervousness at the time, she saw the word "Apple" at the beginning of the message and thought she had received an official reminder from Apple. She was also worried about double verification issues with her account, so she clicked on the link.

Screenshot of Xie Hong's mobile text message

After clicking the link, Xie Hong found that it was the same website as Apple's official website in her opinion, and she filled in her ID and password without much thought. Unexpectedly, around 1am the next day, her Apple phone received multiple pop ups for remote device login. She kept clicking "not allowed", but was still forced to log in and cleared all the photos and other data saved in the original phone! At the same time, Xie Hong received an email notification that her Apple ID password was being changed by someone. Due to the fact that Apple ID is linked to a bank card, if it is controlled by others, it will suffer huge losses.

For this, she quickly picked up the iPad beside her and raced against time to modify her own information. But every time she made a modification, the other party would tamper with it again... until after 4am, both sides went through 13 rounds of tug of war, and in the end, she saved her Apple ID.

Screenshot of Xie Hong's AppleID Password Repeatedly Modified by Strangers

Linking up bureaus

Phishing SMS link high imitation official website

Red Star News reporters have found that many users on social media have reported encountering similar scams. So, if Xie Hong doesn't discover it in time, what will she encounter next?

According to media reports, Ms. Wang was hacked for 6826 yuan after clicking on the link in the Apple ID remote login text message. Her previous experience was very similar to Xie Hong, where she clicked on the fraudulent SMS link and filled in her Apple ID and password. That night, Ms. Wang received an email stating that her Apple ID information had been updated. And without her knowledge, the scammer added a trusted phone number to her ID. Subsequently, Ms. Wang's bank card was stolen and swiped 14 times.

The reporter learned that the so-called "Apple ID remote login SMS" is actually a scammer's phishing SMS, with the link pointing to a highly imitated Apple official website. After the deceived user enters their Apple ID and password, the scammer can obtain the user's information, thereby achieving theft and profit.

Official reminder

Do not click on links in suspicious information

Xie Hong told Red Star News that she has set up Alipay, which is bound to her Apple ID. Security locks have been added, and prevention functions such as night protection, game protection, and high-value protection have been activated to prevent future theft of cash if the wrong link is clicked. At the same time, she also set a monthly limit in the Apple zone of Alipay.

Telecom experts said in an interview with reporters that if you accidentally click on the link on phishing messages to fill in account and password information, there is also a way to delete the number of scammers from trusted devices. You can click on "Settings" - "Apple ID, iCloud, Media and Purchasing Projects" - "Password and Security" to view trusted phone numbers, and directly remove unfamiliar numbers to ensure that the associated bank cards are not stolen.

So, will Apple send text messages to users informing them of their Apple ID to log in from another location? Red Star News reporter called Apple's official hotline, and customer service said that Apple usually notifies users to go to the official website to handle related issues through email or other forms. The Apple official website also provides tips on "How to protect Apple accounts and devices". Users can use dual authentication to protect their Apple ID, always ensuring that contact information is secure and up-to-date, and never disclose their Apple ID password or verification code to anyone. Apple will never require users to provide this information to provide support. At the same time, do not click on links in suspicious or harassing information, and do not open or store attachments within them.

Police reminder: When receiving abnormal text messages, it is necessary to first confirm whether the number is correct. Unknown numbers are most likely fraudulent text messages; Do not click on unfamiliar links and do not fill in personal information; After discovering abnormal transactions, call 110 immediately to report the incident and promptly recover losses.

Red Star News reporter Pang Jian