Tagged: iPhone Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Geebo 8:00 am on October 23, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , iPhone, , ,   

    New scam targets new iPhone users 

    New scam targets new iPhone users

    By Greg Collier

    Apple recently released the newest iteration of the iPhone, the iPhone 15. While it’s only an incremental upgrade from the iPhone 14, the most newsworthy feature of the new iPhone is it can now be charged by USB-C. Previously, Apple used its proprietary Lightning connector, even though USB-C charges and transfers data faster. However, the iPhone 15 has been very popular among the Apple faithful, and when something is that popular, scammers are bound to follow.

    In previous years, an iPhone scam would consist of scammers claiming to sell a brand-new iPhone online for well under market value. From there, a number of scams could take place, most likely just to take the buyer’s money without giving them an iPhone. This new scam, is trying to get the iPhone 15 out of the hands of people who already own one.

    According to tech news site Tom’s Guide, one of their own reporters was approached by a scammer after they purchased an iPhone 15. The scammer called the reporter, posing as a representative from Verizon. The scammer said that due to overheating issues, the reporter needed to return their iPhone 15 because it was dangerous. While the iPhone 15 did have an overheating issue, it was never dangerous and has since been fixed with an update.

    The reporter called Verizon and verified this was a scam, but the scammer had already sent FedEx to pick up their phone. When the reporter spoke with the FedEx driver, the address the phone was going to be sent to was not to Verizon.

    What’s concerning about this scam is the scammers had enough of the reporter’s personal information to initiate this scam. If this had happened to someone who was less informed about scams, there’s a good chance they would have fallen victim. It’s believed scammers got this information from a Verizon data breach which happened earlier this year.

    When a product is defective and poses a danger to users, companies will not call customers. Instead, a recall will be issued by releasing statements to the media. At best, a customer may receive a post card in the mail letting them know about the recall. If you’ll think back to the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 debacle when the batteries were catching fire, no one was calling Note users asking for their phones.

    If you’ve purchased an iPhone through Verizon in the past few years, you probably want to be on the lookout for this type of phone call. If you receive this type of call, hang up and whatever you do, don’t send the phone to the scammers. Odds are, if you do, you’ll never see it again.

     
  • Geebo 8:00 am on April 4, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , iPhone, , ,   

    Instagram scam promises free iPhone 

    Instagram scam promises free iPhone

    By Greg Collier

    Not too long ago, we brought you a post about how an Instagram scam could hijack your account. As we mentioned then, there are no shortages of scams on the popular photo sharing platform. Recently, one of those scams rose above the others to garner some headlines.

    CNET is reporting an iPhone giveaway scam is currently plaguing Instagram users. If you use Instagram on a consistent basis, you may have seen one of these scam posts. Users are being tagged by what are essentially spam accounts. These posts promise you a free iPhone 13 and all you need to do is click the link in the tagger’s profile. According to CNET, if you click the link, you’ll be taken to a website where you’ll be asked for your personal information and a credit or debit card number.

    While the CNET article does not go into specifics, we believe this could be one of two scams. The first one is straight up identity theft. With your personal and financial information, scammers could easily take over your life. Not only could identity thieves use your card for fraudulent purchase, but they could also use your information to take out loans or open other lines of credit.

    The other scam could be the advance fee scam. This is where a user is told they’ve won something, but have to pay a fee to collect their prize. This is a common scam when it comes to online giveaways. The scammers will disguise the payments as shipping fees, insurance for the item, or some form of tax. While this practice is illegal in the United States for legitimate sweepstakes, scammers aren’t concerned with the law.

    The best way to avoid this scam is to not expect anything for free on social media. Never click the links that these scam Instagram accounts provide. Furthermore, never give your personal information to random Instagram accounts, no matter how good the prize their offering is. Lastly, you can set your Instagram account to only be tagged by people you know or people you follow. You can also set it to where users can manually approve each tag they receive. The CNET article has the instructions for that.

     
  • Geebo 9:00 am on March 9, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , iPhone, , Rochester,   

    Used iPhone scam targets online buyers 

    Used iPhone scam targets online buyers

    By Greg Collier

    Whenever someone tries to buy a used high-end phone online, like an iPhone, there’s always a risk of being scammed. The most common scam is they’re trying to sell you a stolen phone. If a phone is reported stolen, the buyer wouldn’t be able to activate the phone on their network, or any network for that matter. Depending on what platform a buyer uses, they could also end up with a counterfeit iPhone that’s not an iPhone at all. However, a new scam has the buyer show up at the exchange before the scam even takes place.

    A couple in Rochester, Minnesota, recently found themselves out of almost $400 after attempting to buy an iPhone 13 through Facebook Marketplace. They met in public, and the couple gave the seller $375 for the iPhone. That’s when the phone started to ring. The seller’s mother was supposedly the caller and told the seller that she left her personal information on the phone and needed to delete it. The seller told the couple he was going to his home and that he’d be right back. The seller never returned. The Rochester Police have said that this has been an ongoing scam in their area.

    When using an unmoderated platform like Facebook Marketplace, assume everything is a scam. This is especially true when you find a better than average deal. As always, we recommend to our readers that if you’re meeting in public to make an exchange, meet the other party at your local police department. While it’s not a guarantee that you won’t be scammed, it will go a long way in discouraging scammers from meeting with you. We also recommend never getting into the other party’s vehicle or going to a private residence for the meet up, as this can put you in great danger.

     
  • Geebo 8:00 am on September 11, 2019 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , iPhone,   

    How to get the new iPhone without being ripped off 

    How to get the new iPhone without being ripped off

    Yesterday at one of their annual events, Apple announced the upcoming release of the iPhone 11. While the new generation of iPhones aren’t that much different than the iPhone X, they are said to have better cameras and better battery life along with a faster processor. Apple even took a step that they don’t normally do by offering these devices at a lower price than their predecessor. The iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max are being sold at prices of $699, $999, and $1,099 respectively for the base 64GB models. If you skipped the iPhone X this may be the time for you to pick up a new device. However, you shouldn’t let your eagerness for a new phone override your common sense when it comes to getting a deal.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3yIViqkmME%5D

    As soon as new iPhones are announced, scammers are probably already looking to take your money or sell you knockoffs. The iPhone 11 does not officially go on sale online through Apple until this Friday. At 5am PT on the 13th, you’ll be able to order an iPhone 11 through Apple’s online store. Then the devices will be available through retail outlets come the 20th. While iPhones are still wildly popular, they don’t have the demand like they used to when people would camp out at Apple stores trying to get their hands on the limited supply. That doesn’t mean that scammers won’t try to make a buck off of you.

    Often, scammers will post iPhones for sale claiming that they bought two by accident and are trying to get rid of one. Or they’ll say they bought one then got another one as a gift. These could be serious red flags when it comes to buying a new iPhone second hand. If you are going to buy an iPhone second hand, try to avoid the usual scams such as wiring money to the seller. If the seller can’t meet you at a local police station then the odds are pretty good you saved yourself from fraud.

    If you miss out on the first round of orders from Apple, just be patient. After the hoopla dies down you’ll probably be able to get a decent deal from one of the top phone carriers as we get closer to the holiday season.

     
  • Geebo 8:00 am on July 19, 2019 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: iPhone, , , ,   

    Check out this bizarre double scam! 

    Check out this bizarre double scam!

    We’ve been telling you about numerous scams for some time now in order to help better protect consumers. Every so often we’ll post a story about a scam we’ve previously discussed to remind consumers that these scams are still out there. Occasionally we’ll post about a brand new scam that’s either brand new or one we’ve never heard of before. Then there are times like now where we bring you a scam so unusual it almost defies belief. One such scam just recently took place in the state of Kentucky where a woman was almost scammed twice by the same scammers using two different scams.

    The victim thought she was buying an iPhone online through a marketplace app. She paid $200 for the phone over the internet but never received the phone. Months later, she was contacted by someone posing as some kind of investigator. They showed her a copy of a receipt that was supposed to be for her phone and that the scammer had been caught and was being forced to pay restitution as part of a settlement. She was told that as part of the settlement she could receive $30,000 in compensation. Of course, there was a catch. All she had to do was wire some money to cover the costs of processing. Luckily, the woman’s mother warned the victim that this was nothing more than a scam.

    When dealing with marketplace apps that have no verified sellers, always deal locally and never send any money over the internet. Never wire any money either for any part of the transaction as marketplace apps are rife with wire fraud like this. Only deal locally and in cash. When you meet to make the transaction always do so at a local police station. With as great as a convenience online shopping can be, with marketplace apps there are too many variables that can’t be controlled.

     
  • Geebo 10:00 am on January 8, 2019 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , iPhone, ,   

    iPhone users receiving spoofed calls from Apple in latest phishing attack 

    iPhone users receiving spoofed calls from Apple in latest phishing attack

    Another sophisticated scam seems to be targeting Apple users once again. In the past few weeks, we’ve posted about how one phishing attack targeted Mac users by directing users to log into a site that looks like Apple’s website but then steals your Apple user ID and Password. Then we posted about another scam where a phony app from the iOS App Store posed as an app to help you get an Amazon Echo activated but instead asked you for more information than such an app needed. Now, an even more insidious scam is targeting iPhone users once again.

    In this latest attack, iPhone users are reporting receiving calls that appear to come from Apple’s official support number. An automated message then informs the iPhone user that Apple user IDs have been compromised and directs the user to call a different toll-free number. The additional phone number appears to go overseas and may be connected to a team of scammers who may be trying to obtain personal information, money for ‘fixing’ the problem, or both.

    As can be expected with these types of scams, Apple has said that they never call their customers out of the blue like this. With the ever-increasing advent of spoofed phone numbers and robocalling, these scams are becoming more prevalent by the day> many of these scams seem to be disproportionately targeting Apple users since Apple devices can be rather expensive which in turn can make Apple users lucrative targets. If you’re an iPhone user and you receive a call like this, call Apple back directly and do not call the number from the automated message. You worked hard to be able to afford that iPhone so why let someone take advantage of you?

     
  • Geebo 9:04 am on April 24, 2018 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: iPhone, , , rice,   

    LetGo users scammed into buying boxes of rice 

    LetGo users scammed into buying boxes of rice

    Most of us have heard the tip that when you accidentally drop your phone in water, you should then place it in a bag of rice. But what do you do when your phone is a bag of rice? That’s what happened recently to some users of the mobile marketplace app LetGo when they were trying to purchase iPhones.

    In Suffolk County in New York on Long Island, three people were arrested recently for selling iPhone boxes full of rice to people who thought they were buying the renowned smart phone through LetGo. The scammers allegedly claimed that they were selling brand new iPhones still in the box and factory sealed when in reality the boxes were filled with nothing but rice to simulate the weight of an iPhone and its accessories. When police investigated the residence where the operation was taking place, they reportedly found an industrial sealer, a heat gun, and a roll of clear plastic wrap among the packages of rice.

    If you’re buying something from a classifieds site or app always be skeptical of anything listed as sealed in box. As you can see, it doesn’t take much to reseal a box and there have been many stories over the years where people have been sold sealed boxes that have been filled with bricks, carpet samples, and many other bits of detritus. This is yet another reason to use safe exchange zones such as police stations to make your transactions. Not only do these zones go a long way in helping to protect your safety, but they also go a long way in preventing you from getting ripped off.

     
  • Geebo 10:00 am on January 11, 2018 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: iPhone,   

    Don’t buy a locked iPhone 

    Don't buy a locked iPhone

    Previously, we’ve discussed the inherent problems with buying an iPhone through a less than reputable site like craigslist. Whether it’s an old scam like wiring the money to a seller, or a new one like the cloned knock off iPhone, there is a minefield of traps you need to avoid when buying one of Apple’s most coveted products used.

    Recently, a man on Falls Church, Virginia, bought a used iPhone 8 off of craigslist and the phone seemed to pass all the tests in being a legitimate working iPhone. That was until he tried to activate the phone and found that the phone was blocked, or a more accurate term may be blacklisted. The phone was purchased through a payment plan with the phone’s carrier rather than being bought outright. The previous owner failed to make payments and when that happens the phone is immediately blacklisted and can not be activated ever.

    One of the things you can do to protect yourself is to try to activate the phone while the seller is there with you. Another is to check the IMEI or ESN numbers, a form of cell phone identification, with a number of websites that can check to see if the phone is blacklisted or not. Also, try using a more reputable site than craigslist. And as always, meet the seller at a police station. Not only does this go a long way in keeping you physically safe, but someone with a blocked phone may not be so willing to sell the phone where they can be recorded.

     
  • Geebo 10:08 am on December 6, 2017 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , iPhone, ,   

    Beware the phony iPhone X 

    Beware the phony iPhone X

    Since the iPhone X has been released it has been touted by some in the Apple ecosystem as the greatest cell phone ever invented, while others have said the iPhone 8 is an upgrade enough. However, if you find yourself in the market for an iPhone X, you should be on the lookout for phony knock off versions of the popular phone being sold online.

    One man in Chandler, Arizona, fell victim to one of these knock offs. He purchased the phone from someone on the OfferUp app. The seller had a good reputation on OfferUp which could possibly lead one to believe that seller reviews on OfferUp could be faked. The box was sealed, the package had a serial number and an IMEI number which was said to have been verified. The man paid under the list price of $1000 which should have been a tip-off. No one is selling an iPhone X at a loss. The scam became obvious when the man fired up the phone and an Android prompt greeted him. Android is the Google made operating system used by most phones that aren’t iPhones, while iPhones use Apple’s iOS. These knock off phones have been around even before the iPhone X was released.

    While OfferUp has removed the alleged seller from their app, what’s stopping them from creating a new account to start the scam all over again? As slick and glitzy as the OfferUp app might be it still seems to have the same old problems like the antiquated craigslist, rampant crime and scams galore. The more things change the more they stay the same.

     
  • Geebo 9:01 am on September 15, 2017 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , iPhone,   

    With new iPhones comes old scams 

    With new iPhones comes old scams

    It can hardly be argued that no company has a more loyal userbase than that of Apple. While the days of camping out in front of Apple stores may be a thing of the past, that doesn’t stop the devoted Apple fans from wanting to get their hands on Apple’s latest device as soon as possible and as cheaply as possible. This week, Apple unveiled a new line of iPhones in the iPhone 8 and the iPhone X, and whenever Apple unveils a new iPhone you can count on the scammers to try to take advantage of those who are trying to obtain one.

    The scams that involve iPhones aren’t new scams, just twists on the same old scams. Mostly it will be people trying to get you to wire money to someone through Western Union or Moneygram in order to get the phone. As always, we recommend never wiring money to someone you don’t know personally, otherwise the scammers run off with your money and there will be no iPhone in your future.

    Some red flags to be aware of are things that indicate the ad poster may be from overseas. They can be little things as posting the + symbol before a phone number, or specifying prices in USD. Another good indicator the poster may be from overseas is if they list their WhatsApp number, as WhatsApp is not as popular in the US as it is overseas. Also look out for severely lowered prices for new iPhones with an accompanying story that says something like “A relative bought me this phone but I already had one”.

    If you’re an Apple fan, it may be better to just be patient and stick out the wait until Apple’s supply of iPhones levels off, or even skipping a generation until the prices become more affordable.

     
c
Compose new post
j
Next post/Next comment
k
Previous post/Previous comment
r
Reply
e
Edit
o
Show/Hide comments
t
Go to top
l
Go to login
h
Show/Hide help
shift + esc
Cancel