(WJW) – A Northeast Ohio county sheriff’s office is warning the community about a nationwide scam targeting iPhone users.
The Ashland County Sheriff’s Office posted a warning this week from Symantec Security about how scammers are getting people to give up their Apple ID credentials.
Here’s how it works: Scammers are sending malicious links that look like they’re from Apple through SMS messages and email.
According to Symantec, here’s one of the phony messages people have been receiving:
“Apple important request iCloud: Visit signin[.]authen-connexion[.]info/iCloud to continue using your services.”
Clicking on the link for verification takes you to a fake website that asks for your Apple ID and password, and even includes CAPTCHA to make it look legitimate.
After you complete the CAPTCHA, users are taken to what looks like an iCloud login page that asks for your credentials.
Once you put your credentials in, cyber-thieves can gain access to your personal and financial data, including Apple Pay.
Apple is reminding users to enable two-factor authentication on Apple IDs to add an extra layer of security.
The sheriff’s office also adds that Apple will never ask users to disable security features.
“Scammers might claim this is necessary to resolve an issue, but it’s a trap designed to lower your defenses,” the sheriff’s office warns.