Via FaceTime… Apple warns of a new wave of fraud

The company said that cybercriminals use FaceTime calls and its invitation links to carry out phishing and fraud attacks, where they pretend to be employees of banks, technical support teams, or official bodies, and sometimes they impersonate people who have emotional relationships with the victims.

Fraudsters rely on video calls to give their operations a more credible appearance, as direct audio and video communication may make the victim more willing to believe the identity of the caller, even though the FaceTime application does not verify the identity of the user who is making the call.

Many of these operations begin with a text message claiming unusual activity on a bank account or credit card, and then the scammer asks the victim to jump into a FaceTime call with someone claiming to be an anti-fraud specialist to conduct what he calls a “verification process.”

During the call, the fraudster tries to convince the victim to share his device screen while accessing electronic banking services, performing a money transfer, or entering one-time security codes. Once this information is obtained, criminals can access accounts or use the data for theft.

Apple warned its users not to respond to these requests, stressing that authorized company employees do not make unexpected FaceTime calls to request passwords, verification codes, or any sensitive information. It called on users to end any call requesting such data and report it. (Russia Today)