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Fake tech support scams
Fake virus alerts, fake "Apple" phone calls: how to spot them, and what to do if it has already happened.
Fake tech support scams
Fake virus alerts in Safari, fake “Apple” phone calls: how to recognise them, and what to do if it has already happened.
A window that blocks the whole screen
A message you cannot close announces an infection and shows a number to call urgently. Apple never does this, and macOS never displays a phone number in an alert.
An unsolicited call “from Apple”
Apple, your internet provider and your bank never call you out of the blue to report a virus on your Mac. A call like that is a scam, without exception.
Manufactured urgency
A countdown, a threat to lock your iCloud account, insistence that you stay on the line: haste is these crooks' main tool. No honest person stops you hanging up to think.
A request to take control
You are told to install remote-control software so they can “repair” things. In reality it is to reach your files, your email and your bank accounts.
An unusual payment
iTunes or Apple Store gift cards, an instant transfer, cryptocurrency: no serious technical service asks to be paid that way. The gift card is the most reliable alarm bell there is.
An inflated invoice
Several hundred euros for a “clean-up” or a multi-year “protection subscription”, often billed by a company based abroad.
The right reflexes
Whether it is happening right now, or has already happened.
Never call the number shown
It does not lead to Apple, but straight to the scammers.
Force Safari to quit
Command + Option + Escape, select Safari, then “Force Quit”. Reopen it holding the Shift key so the booby-trapped tab does not come back. At worst, shut the Mac down.
Let nobody take control
If it has already happened, switch the wifi off at once, shut the Mac down and call us. Do not turn it back on before then.
Tell your bank
If you gave out bank details or made a payment, block the card immediately. Time matters.
Change your passwords
From another device, starting with your Apple Account and your email, then your bank accounts.
Signalez
On cybermalveillance.gouv.fr, the official French support platform for victims. Reporting is free and it helps others.
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