FTC warns of new Apple support call scam

Scammers are once again using the biggest names in tech to pry personal information from unsuspecting consumers, with the latest gambit involving fake calls from Apple support.

Flagged by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission on Thursday, scammers are invoking robocalling techniques to glean credit card numbers, account passwords and other sensitive data from Apple and Amazon customers.

The scamming effort is detailed in a blog post that warns consumers of suspicious calls claiming to be from Apple or Amazon support services. Both ask users to follow prompts that ultimately divulge personal information.

In the case of Apple, call recipients are informed of supposedly suspicious iCloud account activity or an outright breach. Fake calls from Amazon are similarly worded, claiming a user's account shows suspicious purchase activity, a lost package, or problems with a recent order, the FTC says.

Robocalls are forwarded to "customer support" personnel with user interaction. Alternatively, victims are instructed to dial a support center phone number, likely a contingency for phishing calls sent to voicemail.

The FTC tells consumers to disregard the instructions. If Apple or Amazon account holders believe there is a problem with their account, they should attempt to make contact using only legitimate phone numbers or websites that can be independently verified.

With its large — and typically well-heeled — customer base, Apple is a preferred target for scammers. Early last year, for example, a particularly sneaky phishing operation involved robocalls that appeared to originate from AppleCare's 1-800-MY-APPLE number.

20 Comments

gatorguy 14 Years · 24639 comments

About 4 years ago

I've received calls from both scammer camps in the past two months.

The Apple one was pretty much as described here (my iCloud account is locked due to suspicious activity), but in the Amazon one it was a "Thank you for your order of an Apple iPhone in the amount of $997, scheduled to ship tomorrow. If this order is correct you need to do nothing, your credit card is being charged prior to shipment. If the order was placed in error please press one to be connected to an Amazon customer service representative"

macseeker 9 Years · 541 comments

gatorguy said:

I've received calls from both scammer camps in the past two months.

The Apple one was pretty much as described here (my iCloud account is locked due to suspicious activity), but in the Amazon one it was a "Thank you for your order of an Apple iPhone in the amount of $997, scheduled to ship tomorrow. If this order is correct you need to do nothing, your credit card is being charged prior to shipment. If the order was placed in error please press one to be connected to an Amazon customer service representative"

Sometimes I get emails sent to my alias email address. I don't have my name associated with those alias email addresses. It's funny, they also start with Dear email address, not my name. When I see that, yep, it's a scam.

I haven't received any scam phone calls regarding my Apple iCloud account.

sflocal 17 Years · 6141 comments

I get these kind of scam calls often. I actually got to the point to looking forward to receiving them. I end up wasting their time and doing my best to get them upset. The really fun part is I'll play some background soundtracks of goats. That really riles them up!

dogolaca 9 Years · 20 comments

I got a scam call like this. The scammer instructed me to download an app from the iPhone App Store that allows screen sharing with another user, presumably to grab passwords.

Judging by the reviews of this app, it’s a common scammer technique.

Rayz2016 9 Years · 6957 comments

sflocal said:

I get these kind of scam calls often. I actually got to the point to looking forward to receiving them. I end up wasting their time and doing my best to get them upset. The really fun part is I'll play some background soundtracks of goats. That really riles them up!

Yup, I did this myself once when I had a call from a man who said he was a Microsoft representative. I asked him if he worked for Microsoft and he said he was a Microsoft representative, which is not the same thing.

Anyway, he said they’d flagged a problem on my Windows machine and MS was offering a free service to make sure my machine was okay.

I strung him along for 15 minutes by not being able to get my internet working, not being sure what a router was, not being able to find my web browser, not being able to turn off the firewall …

He got really confused, so suggested a reboot.

Then he asked me what I could see.

I said a big Apple logo.

And he hung up.

Which I thought was a bit rude.