An iOS scam designed to cheat people out of money is being reported by users in both the United States and the U.K.
A number of iPhone and iPad users have received pop-up notifications on their devices informing them that iOS has crashed, that their personal data is being stolen by a third party, and that the only way to solve the problem is (surprise!) to pay between $19 and $80 for a fix.
Sounds legit. Where do we send our money?
The pop-up notification appears while people are using Safari. It reads: “Warning!! iOS Crash Report!!. Due to a third party application in your device, iOS is crashed. Contact Support for Immediate Fix.” That’s followed by a phone number, which is supposedly run by a group called “iOS Support,” claiming to be a “security provider” for Apple.
The scam was first reported in the United States late last year, although it seems to be making a comeback now. It is reminiscent of a similar scam in which Russian hackers locked people’s Apple devices and charged money to get them reactivated.
Fortunately, in the case of the “iOS Crash Report” scam, there is a simple solution users can follow to resolve the problem:
- Set your device to Airplane Mode.
- Delete your Safari data by going to Settings, then Safari, then Clear History and Website Data.
- Open Safari and exit Airplane Mode.
Via: The Telegraph
