iPhone users be wary, someone’s out to scam you. A phishing scam has been going around via text message, and it’s been tricking people into giving their personal information over to cyber criminals.

NBC reports that people have been receiving messages saying that their Apple ID is expiring, and that they must follow a link to prevent their account for being closed. Following the link will take you to a convincing-looking website, but any attempts to log-in will result in a message saying, “This Apple ID has been locked for security reasons.”

Attempting to unlock the ID requires entering personal information, ranging from name and birthdate to even credit card information. At that point, anyone filling out the form is freely giving personal and financial information to the cyber criminal.

The report also mentions a similar scam, saying the ID was used to log in on an unauthorized device. Once more, the link leads users to a fake Apple website that attempts to phish personal information from users.

Don’t get tricked

There are a few key steps to avoid falling for phishing scams such as this. First and foremost: awareness. Knowing the scam is out there means that if it ever reaches your phone, you’ll know to avoid it. Just hit delete and move on.

Beyond that, it’s important to be on guard against other phishing scams. Be suspicious of unexpected messages from providers like Apple or Google demanding account information, and do not click any links in text messages or suspicious emails. If the link is legitimate, you can find it from the company’s website, so always go there first.

(And just because this particular scam is targeting iPhone users doesn’t mean other phones are safe. Scammers will use the same tactics to get the information for whatever accounts you may have as well.)

If you do follow the links, pay attention to the information they’re asking for. You should never have to give out information like credit card or social security numbers just to confirm an account; there’s two-step authorization and security questions for a reason.

In fact, keep track of your security questions just as you would a password. And if the website asks you select the security question you want to answer from a list of questions you probably didn’t answer when setting up the account, it’s probably a trap to make you give away your security questions and answers.

In short, it may be best to be a little paranoid when it comes to unexpected emails and text messages. Scammers are great at making their attempts seem as legitimate as possible, and can target someone out of the blue. Be vigilant, be aware, and your personal information will be safe.

Photo by kleuske