Phishing Attempt?

[Itinj24]

Hope this is the right forum. I got four phone calls this morning, each one about 15 minutes apart. They were flagged as “Potential Spam” On the call screen and I didn’t answer any of them. In my VoiceMail tab, I noticed they all came from a 607-596-XXXX number and the voicemail said something to the effect of “Your AppleID has been breached. Please call Apple Support at this this number (315-232-8257) to resolve this issue.”

Phishing attempt or is this SOP for Apple to resolve an AppleID issue like this? TIA.

 

[C DM]

Certainly sounds like fairly typical phishing.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204759 can be of some help.

 

[Itinj24]

Certainly sounds like fairly typical phishing.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204759 can be of some help.

Thanks for the reply. Really weird and didn’t seem like something Apple would do. First time I received a scam call about my AppleID so wanted to ask the forum. Thanks again.

 

[AidenShaw]

A couple of times a month I get a similar call reporting suspicious activity on my ICloud account - amusing since I've never bought any Apple stuff, and don't have an Apple or ICloud account.

 

[firedept]

The same happens with any device. I have had similar calls over the years. Supposedly my account has been locked or been forced into or I have a bad log they need to remotely look at. All scams. Lately they have been trying it with my utilities (electricity). Saying my payment was denied and to give them a credit card number they can charge. So many scams out there now. But as long as people fall for them it will continue to happen.

 

[Itinj24]

The same happens with any device. I have had similar calls over the years. Supposedly my account has been locked or been forced into or I have a bad log they need to remotely look at. All scams. Lately they have been trying it with my utilities (electricity). Saying my payment was denied and to give them a credit card number they can charge. So many scams out there now. But as long as people fall for them it will continue to happen.

For sure... I’ve gotten plenty scam calls before and generally like to mess around with them a bit but never before with my AppleID. Thought that was a weird account to try to phish but I do suppose someone’s AppleID is linked to a lot of PII.

 

[MSastre]

Scam for sure. I've gotten a coule like that.

 

[TiggrToo]

Hope this is the right forum. I got four phone calls this morning, each one about 15 minutes apart. They were flagged as “Potential Spam” On the call screen and I didn’t answer any of them. In my VoiceMail tab, I noticed they all came from a 607-596-XXXX number and the voicemail said something to the effect of “Your AppleID has been breached. Please call Apple Support at this this number (315-232-8257) to resolve this issue.”

Phishing attempt or is this SOP for Apple to resolve an AppleID issue like this? TIA.

It’s scam spam pure and simple.

Apple would never call you about a such a breach. They have neither the staff nor the time.

 

[2984839]

I was recently informed by a man from the IRS (with a very thick Indian accent) that my social security number had expired and I needed to pay $200 worth of Bitcoin immediately to restore it.

 

[avz]

I was recently informed by a man from the IRS (with a very thick Indian accent) that my social security number had expired and I needed to pay $200 worth of Bitcoin immediately to restore it.

I would say you got off easy. I recently was informed that I should pay US$650 to a certain Bitcoin account if I don't want a footage of me, pleasuring myself while watching adult content be distributed to all my contacts. I also been told to have a good day and not to hold any bad feelings as "we all have our job to do".

 

[HDFan]

“Your AppleID has been breached."

I've received maybe 50 of these calls. Another one is "This is (your bank name) calling ...." At one point I was receiving calls every 15 minutes from spoofed numbers making my Comcast phone line unusable. Called Comcast. Turns out they can find the original number for spoofed calls. They blocked it, and the calls stopped. For 2 weeks.
Started up again. Called Comcast. Calls stopped. Started up again in a couple of weeks.

Be sure to report the calls via the FCC robocall complaint form and nomorobo, if you use it. The more complaints the more attention the FCC and nomorobo will pay to it.

The phone companies just got liability protection for blocking suspected spam callers. So things will improve, but don't know how soon.

Submit a request – FCC Complaints

consumercomplaints.fcc.gov

Stop robocalls and spam texts with Nomorobo

Finally! No more annoying robocalls and spam texts.

nomorobo.com

 

[Volusia]

Got 21 of the "your Apple account has been breached" calls yesterday within a three hour period. All from different numbers, telling me to call a certain number to correct the problem. Drove me crazy!

 

[Phil77354]

Got 21 of the "your Apple account has been breached" calls yesterday within a three hour period. All from different numbers, telling me to call a certain number to correct the problem. Drove me crazy!

Me too. I received 3 calls, all from different numbers. "Apple Server found some suspicious activities in your iCloud account that has been breached before using any device please contact our Apple support advisor please press one to connect with Apple support advisor".

 

[kazmac]

Yes, I’ve been getting those scam calls since 2017. Partly why I’ve never used iCloud that much.

 

[HDFan]

Partly why I’ve never used iCloud that much.

How are you correlating iCloud useage with spam calls? They aren't related. The spammers just send out messages which they think will get you to pick up the phone. There are a lot of icloud users, Visa users, etc.

 

[kazmac]

How are you correlating iCloud useage with spam calls? They aren't related. The spammers just send out messages which they think will get you to pick up the phone. There are a lot of icloud users, Visa users, etc.

I’ve received phishing calls about iCloud, when I logged into iCloud that day or the day before. Need to back up phone contacts for work, otherwise I do not use iCloud.

 

[HDFan]

I’ve received phishing calls about iCloud, when I logged into iCloud that day or the day before.

Most likely a coincidence. I have never heard of a single report of phone spammers knowing when you access an account and then spamming you. That would usually involve a website breach, which would be a far more serious, and eventually public, matter.

The iCloud spam calls I received have never been related to whether I had recently logged in or out of iCloud.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

I loved the one I got that purported to be from 'Microsoft support' about a 'serious condition' on my Windows computer. I let them jabber for a while, and then tried to play dumb as they tried to talk me through 'fixing the problem' by logging into a website and giving them control of my computer so 'I can further repair this enormous issue'.

I wasted probably 10 to 12 minutes of their time. The guy said 'click on the start menu', so I said 'Okay. Where is that menu?' At the bottom of the screen. 'Okay, where at the bottom of the screen?' -- and on and on --

The guy started to get frustrated, probably because I was wasting his call time, and got testy. I finally said 'Oh, I'm using a Mac. Why would Microsoft be interested in a problem with my Mac when I'm not running any Microsoft software on it?' He stuttered for a minute, and said they at 'Microsoft' knew it was a Mac, and they are still concerned about a serious error on my computer. Then I told him 'Yeah, nice try ******. Your poop might work on unsuspecting rubes, but I'm in the IT business and I KNOW you are a scammer! Eff off, and have a nice day!' I think he actually beat me to hanging up. I have never received another call like that again. My poor mother-in-law wasn't so lucky. She got at least 2 or three a month, but she seemed an easy mark for them I suppose. When she moved in with us, I finally got to the phone when they would call, and they stopped called her too, eventually.

The reason these, and phishing emails are out there is because they work! If they didn't find stupid gullible people, they wouldn't be doing them. Sad to say, but yeah...

But keep them on the line as long as you can. Play stupid. Start tangents at times to blow their time. They are monitored, in their sweat shops, for how many people they call, and how many of those people they can con. The longer they stay on the phone, the worse their numbers are. Or start asking them outlandish questions. Like 'what color is your underwear', or 'what's your favorite sexual position'. Your number will get a mark in their database, and they won't call you, and those scammers trade lists, because they always share the good marks. Make yourself a problem, and they will not wast time on you. Like Jehovah's Witnesses. They stopped coming to my house. The last 4(!) (I swear they were using me to train their door knockers at one point) stood for over an hour as I blew everything they said out of the park. They know enough not to stop here...

Good luck... I HATE scammers...

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

How are you correlating iCloud useage with spam calls? They aren't related. The spammers just send out messages which they think will get you to pick up the phone. There are a lot of icloud users, Visa users, etc.

I remember a not particularly bright coworker telling someone that Aleve caused their headaches. Seriously. They said that every time they take Aleve, they get a headache. I was stunned. I mean, how do you argue with something that 'out there'. Someone said that maybe they are taking Aleve when they feel they have a headache coming on, and it gets worse after they take Aleve, which is NOT the Aleve, but their own (empty) head going through a migraine or something? I mean, YIKES! (She also used to bitch at length about her ex-husband calling her a flake. I sympathized with her ex completely!)

 

[C DM]

I remember a not particularly bright coworker telling someone that Aleve caused their headaches. Seriously. They said that every time they take Aleve, they get a headache. I was stunned. I mean, how do you argue with something that 'out there'. Someone said that maybe they are taking Aleve when they feel they have a headache coming on, and it gets worse after they take Aleve, which is NOT the Aleve, but their own (empty) head going through a migraine or something? I mean, YIKES! (She also used to bitch at length about her ex-husband calling her a flake. I sympathized with her ex completely!)

Well, to be fair, when it comes to chemical compounds certainly different people can have different reactions given that biology and physiology are not something that would be really exact or necessarily the same between everyone. It doesn't necessarily mean it's common or anything like that, but certainly not something that would be seen as completely unheard of or even new.

 

[Madhatter32]

I have been informed that the police are looking for me and will arrest me if I do not call xxx-xxx-xxxx to talk about my tax return. Same thing. Fraud. You are better off just keeping your phone on silent.

 

[AidenShaw]

Olivia from Apple Support just called me about the breach of my Icloud account.

I have no Apple gear, no Icloud or Apple account, no Apple services.

Random calls.

(edit) Olivia's called four more times.

 

[kazmac]

Most likely a coincidence. I have never heard of a single report of phone spammers knowing when you access an account and then spamming you. That would usually involve a website breach, which would be a far more serious, and eventually public, matter.

The iCloud spam calls I received have never been related to whether I had recently logged in or out of iClou

Shrugs. That is what happened here.

The Olivia calls are the exact ones we received. Folks, you can debate all you like. I am stepping out of this thread.