BE AWARE! Here is how iPhone gangsters operate:
- A pick-pocketer steals the iPhone when sitting in the restaurant or riding the metro (theses guys are smart bastards in distracting you with one hand and pocketing the iPhone with the other).
- After you notice your iPhone was stolen, you mark the device as lost or stole on your other device or your family member apple device in the FindMyiPhone App.
- You are also most probably going to enter your alternative phone number where you want to be contacted in case the phone gets recovered. And here comes the danger: scammers will use that number to trick you into giving your iCloud username and password (read point 4).
- After 24 hours or so you will get a real app alert from apple saying your iPhone was tracked (the scammers switched on the phone with purpose somewhere on a public place). You will also get a fake/scam SMS updating you about the time and location where your phone was located.
- You check on the "Find iPhone" app and see the location of your lost iPhone.
- After an hour or so you will get another SMS with a shortened url telling you, that your phone was located again.
- The PHISHING TRICK: You check the "Find iPhone" app but can't see the new location, so you go back to the SMS link, click on it and you land on a iCloud login interface. It looks original and 100% authentic. You put your username and password and BOOM.... you just gave away your iCloud username and password to the gangsters who stole your iPhone.
- The fraudsters will now enter your iCloud.com account and click on Settings > Go to "Find myiPhone App (there is no 2 factor authentification needed for this) > And they will remove/delete all your Apple devices from being tracked.
- Now, you have no way left to recover your iPhone. All you can do is go to the cop station and report the theft and provide them the IMEI number of your phone if you have it (check your Apple bill). Also you should report this, should it ever happen to you, Apple here: [email protected]
- Remember: Never, ever give your username and password after clicking on a SMS link.
I hope this warning on how gangsters operate will help you to keep your phone and iCloud data safe.
Take care!