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February 14th, 2012, 09:57 GMT · By

iPhone 5 Beta Testing Program Isn’t Real, Steer Clear

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iPhone 5 scam
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People who receive text messages from an unknown number soliciting their cooperation in beta testing the next Apple iPhone are advised to steer clear of this scam. Moreover, those who feel motivated enough to point a finger at the bad guys can report the spam to Apple and at www.donotcall.gov.

An Apple forum poster says he received an unsolicited text earlier this month that said “Apple needs iPhone5 testers:The first 1000 users who visit http://celltestnkeep.com and enter code 1000 will get to test & keep the new iPhone5.”

Needless to point out, Apple will almost never confirm its next iPhone this way, not to mention give away free units in such a crummy-looking campaign.

“I already contacted my provider (AT&T) and they said to inform Apple. I found other customers experiencing this as well while doing a search on the internet,” the user wrote.

Spam text message
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The user confirmed that the phone number he received the text from was 703-609-7910. If you have a match, proceed to alerting Apple and the authorities at www.donotcall.gov.

The scam attempts to lure in unwary customers by all means possible. For example, if you don’t have a code (or don’t remember it) and access http://celltestnkeep.com on a desktop computer, you’ll be redirected to onlinetechrewards.com where the same flashy iPhone 5 banner appears with a request for your email address to be entered in the beta testing program.

Not only will your personal information get sold to spammers and other criminal organizations, there’s zero chances of you nabbing the unconfirmed iPhone 5 which nobody knows anything about (except for Apple, that is).

To be clear - stay away from this promo and others like it. When something sounds too good to be true, it’s usually a trap.

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READER COMMENTS:


Comment #1 by: catlover on 14 Feb 2012, 14:49 UTC reply to this comment

the number on my phone was 185668343246


Comment #2 by: Me on 23 Feb 2012, 04:02 UTC reply to this comment

I got the same message about the first 1000 users ect...from phone no 703-509-7187.


Comment #3 by: poster on 24 Feb 2012, 02:11 UTC reply to this comment

i just got the almost the same message. the number on mine was 8317074607.


Comment #4 by: me on 24 Feb 2012, 10:54 UTC reply to this comment

Ive received almost the same text on my phone. The number my "free" iphone came from is 1-831-254-8931. Thank you for clarifying that this is a scam


Comment #5 by: Joe on 28 Mar 2012, 04:13 UTC reply to this comment

Beware of this number also. Same scam! (443) 433-6436.


Comment #6 by: calvin318 on 28 Mar 2012, 12:59 UTC reply to this comment

the number i got was 1-201-912-7333


Comment #7 by: Paul in Boston on 28 Mar 2012, 13:28 UTC reply to this comment

I received the same text message from (201) 850-9398 [Jersey City NJ.] Using a fax line, I called the number back and reached a recording that the voicemail for the telephone number is not set up.


Comment #8 by: toot on 29 Mar 2012, 00:44 UTC reply to this comment

i got same text the number on mine 12019127384


Comment #9 by: Los Angeles on 29 Mar 2012, 03:05 UTC reply to this comment

I got the same text but with the number 201-268-4800


Comment #10 by: Sue on 29 Mar 2012, 16:09 UTC reply to this comment

I just got this text and checked out the link they gave me. Then I saw this and found out it's a scam. Thanks so much for posting this. These people need to be stopped!! I'm contacting apple right now. Thanks!


Comment #11 by: Jenn from Toronto on 29 Mar 2012, 17:09 UTC reply to this comment

Got one just now from 201-912-7347, thanks for the info!

Comment #11.1 by: litlelf on 31 Mar 2012, 12:51 GMT

Add this # also, 201/912/7791, these people are sick, now I might have to replace my new phone. I'd like to use these folks for target practice.


Comment #12 by: stebaldi on 29 Mar 2012, 21:09 UTC reply to this comment

I just got a text message that Apple is looking for test people to test the new iphone5! The first 1000 users that go to iphone5betas.com and enter a code word get a free iphone5. OnlineGiftGadgets say they are respondsible but I can't find them online and the txt came from 1-201-912-7368. I can't believe I fell for this!


Comment #13 by: desideriuse on 30 Mar 2012, 11:16 UTC reply to this comment

This scam is happening in Canada's 416 area code too. I received a text at 11:55 pm on 29 March 2012 from 201-744-1600. My service provider is Rogers.

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