Recently many iPhone users have found that their Find My iPhone anti-theft feature had been accessed and used to lock the screen.  The victims then received a ransom demand of $100 by the hacker in order to unlock the screen.  However, this scam does not end there.  Other scammers are sending out emails posing as Apple and informing you about the problem with iPhones being remotely locked and prompting you for your username, password and other information under the guise of helping you to defend yourself from the threat of a remote locking of your iPhone.  The problem is that this email is a phishing email sent by a scammer who is merely trying to use this ruse to obtain your information to be able to take over your Apple account.

TIPS

If you were unlucky enough to have had your iPhone hijacked, you can correct the problem yourself through a “hard” reset.  Here is a link to instructions from Verizon as to how to do a hard reset: http://www.verizonwireless.com/support/devices/knowledge_base.html/39607/

As for dealing with the phishing emails that purport to be from Apple, my advice is the same as it always is.  Never provide information that can be used against you in response to an email, text message or telephone call from someone where you have not initiated the communication.  If you receive any such message and have the slightest thought that it might be legitimate, contact the company or person at an email address or phone number that you know is accurate to confirm whether or not the communication you received is a counterfeit phishing communication.  Making an email look legitimate is very easy to do, so trust me, you can’t trust anyone when it comes to communications asking you for personal information