Scammers already targeting people with iPhone 13 offers

Cybersecurity company Kaspersky has warned consumers to be on the lookout for scammers that attempt to sell them Apple products and iPhone 13 offers.

The warning, published on 14 September, came on the same day Apple plans to host an online event to showcase its new product lineup.

“Apple presentations have always been a popular lure for scammers to roll out malicious activity,” security expert at Kaspersky, Tatyana Shcherbakova said.

“For several years now, we see how fraudsters use the buzz around new iPhone release and start spreading malicious features.”

Scammers offer the latest iPhone and other Apple products

Kaspersky analysed several phishing pages that offered to sell visitors the iPhone 13 — even though the product has yet to be announced. They also purported to sell best-selling models of AirPods and Apple Watch.

The pages offer to sell the products at a special price. However, upon sending money to the scammers, buyers do not receive the products.

Other phishing pages offer visitors a chance to buy or win the new iPhone before its official release.

When placing an order, users supply their personal information which the scammers then use for illegal activities or sell on the Dark Web. Scammers also ask buyers to transfer a delivery fee that they cannot reclaim.

“This only shows that scammers would happily benefit from anything that attracts users’ attention,” Shcherbakova added.

How to protect yourself against scammers and phishing websites

At the same time, Kaspersky listed several ways that users can protect themselves from falling victim to a scam.

They advise users to be skeptical of extremely generous offers or promotions and to verify messages from official sources.

They also recommend they do not follow links from suspicious emails or messages, and to check if the websites they visit are authentic.

Read more: 68% of South Africans have encountered online scammers in past year

Featured image: Unsplash/Daniel Romero