State Police have discovered a new computer scam that is circulating on the web in which users are contacted to receive an iPhone as a gift
Computer scams related to offers and gifts of iPhones are always widely used by hackers to make users less experienced in computer security fall into the trap. And in the last few days a new threat has been circulating on the Net, linked to the gift of an iPhone.
The danger to users was discovered by the Italian State Police, who immediately warned of the scam through their Facebook page Commissariato di PS Online - Italia. As always in this type of fraud we receive a message on our inbox where we are informed that we have been drawn at random to receive a new iPhone as a gift. In order to receive the Apple smartphone at home, all we have to do is click on a link that will redirect us to a third party page where we can enter our personal data. Obviously, this is just a ploy designed by cyber criminals. Once they have received our most confidential information, hackers can use it against us or for their own purposes on the Net. While we will not receive any iPhone.
How to Recognize the iPhone Gift Scam
Unfortunately, recognizing this kind of scams is quite simple. First of all, we should always remember that on the Internet, as well as in everyday life, nothing is a gift. Secondly, we pay close attention to messages received via email. Often to recognize the scam is really easy because the texts are written in an approximate Italian and with syntax errors. Take for example the latest fraud discovered by the State Police, the message of the iPhone as a gift reads like this: CONGRATULATIONS, iOS user! Your iPhone is on its way! Your iOS device has been raffled off and you will be one of the first customers to have the opportunity to receive an iPhone. Press OK to participate and receive exclusive rewards!
The first red flag is that this generic and fraudulent message is sent to everyone, even those who don't own an Apple phone. If, for example, we have an Android smartphone, why should we trust a text that identifies us as iOS users? Also, remember that online any confidential information we enter could be used against us, so let's avoid leaving around too much personal data. The advice is to never click on suspicious links and attachments, especially if they talk about unmissable offers or gifts.