The creative attempts of thieves who steal iPhones in Brazil
One of the biggest concerns of iPhone users in Brazil is the likelihood that the device will be stolen, precisely because it is very popular and has a high price. And now we bring the story of a reader who went through this sad experience, receiving dozens of fake messages in an attempt to provide the iCloud ID.
Fortunately, she is a well-informed user and was not fooled by the bad guys.
Apple implemented in iOS 7 the Activation Lock, capable of locking devices when the password for the registered iCloud account is not entered. This forces the bad guys to be creative in trying to get the user’s data.
Last year, we even commented here how fake emails and bad guys were getting more and more sophisticated. Over the past year, things have become even more intense.
Our reader Laudiene wrote us an account of what his experience was like after his iPhone was stolen recently. And the insiders’ insistence on trying to discover her iCloud password is impressive.
Good afternoon to everyone on the iPhone Blog! I have been a regular reader of the site for years, if I am not mistaken, since the time they launched the iPhone 4, which was my first iPhone… lol… There will be about 4 years right? LOL
I always go to the website to see the latest apps, iOS updates, iPhone crashes and tips, but last Friday, January 12, 2018, I entered the blog especially to see what steps we should take when we have the iPhone stolen. On this day I was robbed at 11:39 am, leaving PUC-GO, here in Goiânia.
I followed the usual steps: locate iPhone, put it in lost mode, do BO, etc.But it was the reading of a news that for me was the most important to date. You reported the post-robbery scams that the crooks are using to get the iCloud password, which is to contact them on the Lost Mode phone as if it were Apple and put a fake phishing link to hook the Apple ID and password . By the time I read it I already alerted my boyfriend that it was the contact phone that was in Lost Mode. Since then, we received messages by SMS and WhatsApp, from numbers with area code 11, 99 and even a foreigner, and every hour they reported something different, that my cell phone had been found, that to see the last location I should click on the link Sent…
Another time they said that my iPhone was located and redirected to an authorized Apple, which was for me to click on the link to find out which store I should remove the device from. Anyway, they tried everything! And I always opened the app to search for iPhone on my Mac to see if the information was true or not, and it remained with the location unavailable… lol
But I never clicked on their links… They even sent 5, 6 messages a day to the contact who was in Lost Mode and also the people on my emergency contact list like two friends of mine and my mom. (I don’t know how they did it). But I warned everyone not to click on any links, not even out of curiosity!
Mônica (a woman) closes the message with a “thank you”.
Then there were so many unsuccessful attempts that one day they called my boyfriend in confidential, as soon as he answered they hung up, I think it’s to make sure the phone was right, since they tried everything and couldn’t get my password, lol.
I will be forever grateful for the serious, reputable and committed work that you all do, because if it weren’t for you maybe today I would be just another number in the statistics of people who had their iPhone stolen and then fell for the fake link scam.
Thanks to you, if I don’t have my iPhone back they’ll have to use it as a paperweight or door weight… kkkkkk! Because my password will NEVER have!
Thank you so much again!
It is important to note, in this case, that all the links informed by the messages lead to some domain that tries to give the impression that it is from Apple, even if it is not in fact:
id-find.com.br
search-apple.com.br
isuporte-icloud.com
They all lead to sites that, visually, appear to be the real page of Apple, when in fact it is a fake. An unsuspecting or inattentive user ends up entering the iCloud ID and password, giving away the information to the bad guys.
Thieves take advantage of a moment of weakness of the victim to try to suck all possible information, especially the iCloud password, necessary to be able to restore the stolen iPhone. And an email or message from Apple saying that the device was found is all the victim wants to hear at this time, not really realizing that it could be (and is) a scam.
It’s important to always remember that Apple Never will send you a message via WhatsApp or to a number that was not stolen. In fact, she will never send it to you no link, but ask you to go directly to the site icloud.com to view your situation.
Fortunately, Laudiene had a cool and balanced head to follow all the correct steps when losing her precious iPhone. If it is true that this did not bring her back the device, at least her data, photos, contacts and passwords from iCloud did not fall into the wrong hands, which could give her even more headaches.
Usually blocked devices are disassembled to reuse parts, but without a doubt the money they earn from this is much smaller than if they could sell the iPhone working. So it’s very important that we protect our iCloud password well and avoid giving it to strangers so that the theft is worth less and less worth it. We already know of cases in which the thief refused to take the iPhone because it was difficult to unlock.
Congratulations to Laudiene, and may her story serve as an example for everyone. Share this text with as many people as you know, so that everyone knows how to protect themselves when the worst happens.
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