New Text Scam Tricks Users into Disabling iPhone Security

Smartphones in today’s world are equipped with millions of proactive security features that are designed to keep users safe. However, scammers and hackers are continuously creating new tactics to trick users into disabling these proactive measures. A recently discovered text phishing scheme exemplifies this danger. 

BleepingComputer highlighted that this SMS scam tries to lure users into responding with a ‘Y’ which can activate the hidden link within the message. Alternatively, it can also prompt users to copy and paste the link into their browser. 

If the users reply to these messages or paste the link into the browser, they inadvertently bypass a major security feature in iOS. The security feature which is bypassed automatically disables links from unknown senders. This measure is very important to iPhone security in that it cannot be toggled on or off as it is an integral part of the Messages application. 

Responding with a ‘Y’ or sending any other reply tricks iOS into believing that the users recognize the sender. Once the Messages app is restarted, as the scam text instructs, the link becomes clickable leading users to a fraudulent website that is designed to steal their credentials. 

BleepingComputer reports a significant increase in these deceptive messages since mid-last year. Scams masquerading as communications from courier services or demanding road toll payments have been especially prevalent. 

Recently, a user encountered a message of this nature that requested the user to make payment for an overdue toll bill, pressuring the recipient to act quickly to avoid any additional fees. 

Modern operating systems and web browsers offer a strong defense against phishing attacks so it becomes essential to keep software updated to minimize the risk of falling victim. 

Users must always refrain from responding to messages from unknown or unverified senders and should not respond even with ‘STOP’ or ‘Y’.