"Apple Unusual Activity From Your Account, We Need Verification" Phishing Scams
Apple users who have received email messages like the one below, which claim that their accounts have been temporarily locked by Apple's antifraud system which detects and prevents fraud, are asked to delete them. This is because the email messages are phishing scams, being sent by cyber-criminals to trick and frighten Apple users into visiting phishing websites that steal usernames and passwords.
A Sample of the Phishing Apple Email Message
From: Service Apple - required@automatic-secure.com
Subject: Unusual Activity From Your Account, We Need Verification !
Date: 19 February 2017 at 08:59:20 GMT
2R663256461216303J Payment Reversed
Dear,
Your account Has Been Temporary Locked because Apple uses antifraud system to detect and prevent fraud.
A review of the transaction below raised a suspicion that it may have not been authorised. As a result, we've reversed this transaction.
Transaction Details
Transaction Date:
15 February 2017 20:33:35 AEST
Transaction Amount:
$259.00 USD
Order id:
MH7NTYLGNY
What to do
Log in to your Apple account as soon as possible. We may ask you to confirm information you provided when you created your account
to make sure that you're the account holder.
You should also do the following for your own protection:
Log in to Check your Apple account details (address, email, phone, etc.) to make sure they're accurate.
Review your account activity to make sure you recognise the transactions recently made.
Report any unknown or unauthorised activity.
If you have questions or believe that this transaction was cancelled in error, please log in to your Apple account and click the Contact Us link.
Yours sincerely,
Apple
Please do not reply to this email. This mailbox is not monitored and you will not receive a response. For assistance,
The link in the phishing email message goes to a fake Apple website, which has been created by cyber-criminals to trick their potential victims into entering their Apple username, password and credit card information on it. If the requested information is submitted by the potential victims, it will be sent to the cyber-criminals, who will use it to steal their money and use their accounts fraudulently. The cyber-criminals / scammers behind the phishing email message will change the website's name, so look out for similar phishing email messages with links that go to different phishing websites.
If you are tricked into submitting your Apple credentials and credit card information on the fake web page, please change your Apple password immediately and contact your bank and let them know that you have unknowingly submitted your credit card information on a phishing website.
Remember, never click on a link to sign into your Apple account, always go directly to https://appleid.apple.com and log in from there and check your account for any discrepancies.
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Note: Some of the information in samples on this website may have been impersonated or spoofed.