CYBERCRIMINALS have reportedly found a texting trick to evade an iPhones built-in phishing protection feature.
Fortunately, there’s an easy way consumers can remain safe from attacks.
Apple’s Filter Unknown Senders tool is built into iMessage.
It automatically disables links in texts received from unknown senders – be it an email address or phone number.
But during a spike in SMS-based phishing scams, cybercriminals have been seen luring victims into replying to a text by asking users to reply with “Y,” BleepingComputer reported.
“Please reply Y, then exit the text message, reopen the text message activation link, or copy the link to Safari browser to open it,” one phishing text, seen by BleepingComputer, read.
Apple told the outlet that if a user replies to a scam message, or adds the sender to their contact list, then the links will be clickable.
Cyber crooks rely on links to steal personal information and financial details, or even install malware onto your device.
The tactic has been used increasingly over the past year.
It is similar to the common “reply STOP” or “reply NO” that often appears at the end of messages from businesses or services.
Scammers might be hoping that this familiar act will lead the recipient to reply to the text and enable them to tap the link.
Even if a recipient doesn’t click on the link, a simple reply is a clear sign to cybercriminals that the phone number is active – making them a target.
The best way to avoid these new “Y” scams is to never reply to messages from unknown senders.
It’s worth noting the Filter Unknown Senders tool has to be manually switched on. Here’s how:
How to filter messages from unknown senders on iPhone
Go to Settings and find Messages.
Scroll down to Filter Unknown Senders and switch it on.
If you wish to look in the unknown senders folder after it’s set up, go to the Messages app.
Tap on Filters in the top left and select Unknown Senders.
What is phishing?
Here’s what you need to know…
- Phishing is a type of online fraud
- It’s typically an attempt to nab some of your data
- Phishing generally involves scammers posing as a trustworthy entity
- For instance, fraudsters could send you an email claiming to be your bank, asking for details
- Scammers can also set up fake websites that look like real ones, simply to hoodwink you
- Phishing can take place over email, social media, texts, phone calls and more
- The best defence against phishing is to be generally sceptical of weblinks and emails, especially if they were unsolicited
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