Due to the urgency of the scam, the fraudster asks the victim to…
Due to the urgency of the scam, the fraudster asks the victim to enter their account credentials; subsequently, he blocks the device and demands a ransom for its restoration. Authorities have warned that after blocking, scammers demand payment to unlock the device, threatening otherwise to delete the owner's personal data or completely prevent them from using their phone or tablet.
Consensus
- Mothers in Russia's Ministry of Internal Affairs warned about a new scam involving Apple devices.
- Fraudsters target minors who use Apple products.
- Scammers gain the victim's trust before asking them to log into an iCloud account controlled by the fraudster.
- After logging in, the device is remotely blocked using the 'Find iPhone' feature.
- Victims are then demanded money for unlocking their devices.
- The scam involves remote blocking of Apple devices via iCloud.
Points of divergence
- Scammers claim their phone is broken and need help printing tickets or documents as a pretext to trick victims into logging in. — vesti
- After blocking the device, scammers threaten to delete personal data or permanently disable the device if no ransom is paid. — vesti
- Financial expert Maria Ivatkina advised checking app developer names before installation to avoid malware disguised as harmless apps. — vesti
Coverage (3 sources)
- Ministry of Internal Affairs told TASS how criminals manage to block Apple devices — ТАСС (Telegram)
- Ministry of Internal Affairs Warns About New iPhone Blocking Fraud Scheme — Вести
- Ministry of Internal Affairs Warns About iCloud Fraud Scheme — РИА Новости (Telegram)