Ukrainian users of the iPhone are massively suffered by a new fraudulent scheme, which is based not on technical vulnerability, but on psychological manipulation. The attackers use social engineering to access iCloud accounts, then block gadgets and require ransom.
The scheme usually begins with the fraudsters come in contact with a potential victim through social networks, play communities or job search platforms. They can pretend to be employers, philanthropists or people looking for technical assistance. After confidence, they ask for a "small service" - for example, to enter another's iCloud account from the victim's device, as if for printing tickets or downloading a certain application.
In fact, having access to iCloud, fraudsters activate the "Find iPhone" function and block the device. Then they send a message demanding to pay a ransom - usually within 10 thousand hryvnias. Threaten full abrasion or permanent phone lock.
Experts explain that vulnerability in this scheme is not a device, but a person. Victims are emotional and act inadvertently.
In case of iPhone lock it is worth immediately:
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Disable Internet access (go to a flight or disconnect Wi-Fi and mobile data),
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Contact the police with evidence (reps, screenshots, translies of transfers),
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Contact Apple through iForgot.Apple.com.
Apple, in turn, will require documents confirming your ownership of the device - check, serial number, passport data. Access recovery can last from a few days to several weeks.
Law enforcement officers insist: it is not necessary to pay a ransom. This does not guarantee unlock, but only fueled the interest of fraudsters in new victims.
The main protection against this scheme is the prudence in communicating with strangers on the Internet and refusing to access your own device.
