14 DAY TRIAL // Apple has launched iPhone 5S and a slightly cheaper iPhone 5C. As with all major Apple product launches, cybercriminals have already started sending out malicious emails.
First, Malwarebytes experts have spotted a series of bogus Apple emails designed to trick users into accessing a phishing website.
The malicious site instructs users to hand over their Apple IDs, passwords, and financial information and sends it all to a hotmail.fr email address.
The phishing pages are well designed. The only thing that gives away their true purpose is the site’s URL, which has nothing to do with Apple.
In addition to this scheme, BullGuard has found spam emails entitled “CONGRATULATION! You win the latest IPHONE5S!”
Unlike other similar scams, this one isn’t designed to distribute malware or lure users to a phishing website. Instead, the bogus emails inform recipients that they’ve won an iPhone 5S.
“ATTN: OUR WINNER. REFG: AWARD NOTIFICATION & FINAL NOTICE. We happily announce that you win the latest IPHONE5S! To file your claim, please provide us with the information below,” the emails read.
The information victims must provide includes name, address, age, nationality, phone number and email. However, this might be only the first phase of the scheme.
It’s likely that once users respond, they’ll be asked to pay all sorts of fees – for instance a fee for shipment.
Don’t be fooled by such emails. Some companies might start running promotions in which they give away free iPhones, but they will certainly not contact you out of the blue to tell you that you’ve won.
If you want to make sure a contest is legitimate, check out the company’s official website and official social media pages. If there’s no mention of iPhone 5S giveaways, the messages you’re seeing are most likely part of a scam that leverages the name of a well-known brand.
