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Apple Users, Beware of This Super Realistic Email Scam

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Watch out for this new Apple email scam. Apple users report that they have been receiving emails that look suspiciously like official messages from Apple, targeting them for their personal information.

The email in question confirms a recent purchase from Apple that the customer didn’t actually make. And after that, there is a link for the customer to cancel the purchase if it was unauthorized. Scarily enough, when users click on the link, it sends them to a website that requests not only their name and Apple ID username, but also their password, address, birth date, Social Security number, and credit card number.

One anonymous woman took her email “from iCloud” straight to the Apple Store to find out what the deal was, and she found out about the scam right then and there. She said the employee told her that even though her email might look official, iCloud would never actually send her a bill. A bill would always come from iTunes with the Apple logo.

“This is a lesson learned the hard way,” the woman said.

But she’s far from being the only user targets by an Apple email scam. Many Apple users have shared their experiences of being targeted by Apple hoaxes, complete with images of the realistic-looking emails.

Yikes! The good news is, there are some major giveaway signs to look for if you suspect you’ve been targeted by an Apple email scam, straight from the real Apple itself:

The sender’s email address or phone number doesn’t match the name of the company that it claims to be from.

Your email address or phone number is different from the one that you gave that company. The message starts with a generic greeting, like “Dear customer.” Most legitimate companies will include your name in their messages to you.

A link appears to be legitimate but takes you to a website whose URL doesn’t match the address of the company’s website.

The message looks significantly different from other messages that you’ve received from the company.

The message requests personal information, like a credit card number or account password.

The message is unsolicited and contains an attachment.

Stay safe from the “bad” apples out there on the internet!

h/t Good Housekeeping

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