Cell phones across Central New York have been getting numerous spam calls that tell the recipient their Apple or iCloud account has been breached. Calls have been received all over Utica, and beyond.

My phone received no less than 12 of these calls, letting me know my "iCloud account has been breached" or my "Apple account was breached." As I had just used my account, I immediately knew the call was fake.

Credit: TSM
Credit: TSM
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In fact, this is a scam that's been going on for a while, resurfacing in different parts of the US. In 2019, the scam was spreading across the Washington DC area, as reported by WUSA9.com In this case, it looked like call came from Envato, CA.

Apple's support page says, in some cases, scammers are spoofing customer support numbers, so the call looks like it's from Apple, but it's not. Then the caller pressures you for information or money.

If you get an unsolicited call from someone claiming to be from Apple, hang up and contact Apple's support team. Apple says you can also report fraudulent tech support calls to the Federal Trade Commission (U.S. only) at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov or to your local law enforcement agency.

Apple also wants you to remember to NEVER share your Apple ID, password  or temporary verification code. You never have to give these details for customer support. You can also set up two-factor authentication to protect your account.

If you get one of these calls - or any phishing calls - remember that most businesses will not ask for bank account or credit numbers over the phone, especially if the call is unsolicited.



 

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