Scam Alert: That Apple Care Text is Not Legit
Were you one of the unlucky people who received a text at 11:39 am on Monday, June 26th that said “Apple Care: You were charged $136.77 via Apple Pay at App Store. If this wasn’t done by you, Contact Support immediately at +1(833)-770-3833 to abort.”? …..I was. Definitely not something I needed to see on a busy Monday right before lunch.
Legit or not? This is how to tell. Look at the formatting in the text closely. The phone number format was the first thing that stood out to me. The English also sounded a bit broken with ‘via App Store’ instead of ‘via the App Store.’ Also, I wondered why ‘Contact’ and ‘Support’ both be capitalized not to mention why they would need me to do anything for them.
After doing a quick copy and paste, I asked ChatGPT who quickly told me it was a scam and referenced a link from Apple. It was suggested that I block the number, report it to Apple and delete the message. If ChatGPT isn’t one of your new besties, you could just type “Apple Care Text” in the search bar and the same type of information would pop up.
If you receive a suspicious email or SMS text message that looks like it’s supposed to be from Apple, the company is requesting that you email a picture of it to [email protected]. Apple reiterated that they will not ask for personal information in an e-mail or text. If you ever have a doubt about a text from them, call the legitimate Apple support number (1-800-MY-APPLE).
Guard Well Identity Theft Solutions exists to protect you, your family and your employees from the damages of identity theft. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need help or have any questions or concerns. We are available to you 24/7/365 at 888.966.4827 (GUARD) and [email protected].
