Experts at Kaspersky Lab are drawing attention to the fact that cybercriminals are exploiting high demand for new iPhone models. Under various pretexts, they are mass-distributing fraudulent emails purportedly from official payment systems and stores in order to extract personal data and money from users in different countries around the world.
Fake pre-orders. Kaspersky Lab experts have discovered fake English-language emails confirming a pre-order from the official Apple Store. They claim that the user has allegedly already placed a pre-order for an iPhone 18 Ultra Pro and made a cryptocurrency payment of more than $1,000. To resolve the "erroneous" transaction, the email suggests calling an "Apple support" number. But if the user does so, the scammers may attempt during the call to gain access to the user's data — from various services to their bank account — or persuade them to perform certain actions.
Emails were also identified purportedly from the security service of an international payment system. They claimed that the server had allegedly detected unauthorized access to the user's account from an unknown device with a request to transfer more than $900 — for a pre-order of an Apple iPhone 18 Pro. To cancel the purchase, the recipient was asked to call a support phone number that actually also belonged to the scammers.
What color iPhone would you like? Suspicious mailings were also recorded offering to reserve a desired color of the iPhone 18 Pro before the presentation, with a promise to deliver the smartphone on the day sales start. If a user clicks a link in such an email, they risk falling victim to fraud.
"We remind you that it is important to treat information from any incoming emails with caution, even if they look convincing, and never call the phone numbers listed in suspicious messages. If you need to contact support, find the number on the official website yourself. It is also worth paying close attention to links contained in emails from unknown senders and not entering credentials and payment information on dubious resources," comments Anna Lazarycheva, senior spam analyst at Kaspersky Lab.
"Cybercriminals always exploit hype around various topics — and every high-profile release, such as the launch of new iPhone devices, opens up new opportunities for them to deceive users. Residents of other countries, including fans of the smartphone series in Azerbaijan, may also encounter such traps. Security begins with a simple rule — if in doubt, stop and double-check through official channels. It would also be useful to install a reliable security solution on your devices that will block access to phishing sites before the user has a chance to make a mistake," comments Mushvig Mammadov, official representative of Kaspersky Lab in Azerbaijan.
