It was only a few days ago that I warned you about some iPhone scams threatening users of Apple’s iPhone through a manipulation of the Find My Phone feature of the iPhone. The Find My Phone feature allows iPhone owners to track and lock their phones if they are lost or stolen. However this feature was allegedly misused by two Russians who used phishing techniques to get access to their victims’ Apple ID accounts where they activated the phone locking feature. They then sent messages to their victims indicating that they would remotely delete the data in their phone and keep the phone locked unless they paid a ransom. Another technique allegedly used by the pair of criminals to gain access to the phones was to place online ads offering to provide access to much media content to be accessed through the victim’s iPhone. Once the victim linked his or her iPhone to the scammer’s account, the scammers activated the Find My Phone feature to lock the phone.
TIPS
The best way to resolve a problem is to avoid the problem altogether. As I constantly warn you, never click on links in emails unless you are absolutely sure that they are legitimate. It is always safer to confirm first that the email with a link is legitimate first before considering clicking on the link. You also should make sure that you always backup whatever content you keep on all of your electronic devices. All of your electronic devices should also be protected with anti-virus and anti-malware software although it is important not to rely to heavily on these security programs because they are always a bit behind in protecting you from the latest malware and viruses. Finally, If you are 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/
You also can to to your Apple store with your iPhone and proof of purchase to have Apple resolve the problem.