No, APPLE is NOT Calling

The caller ID said "APPLE 1-800-692-7753" but if you get a call from that number, it is NOT Apple Computer.

Apple will never call you to suggest your account has been compromised as the female voice on the other end of my phone insisted quite convincingly. I say convincingly because even though the first caller had a slight accent, it not unusual for tech companies to use foreigners for tech support. (It is a lot less suspicious than the fellow you can hardly understand calling from the "IRS"...)

The first time the call came in, I listened intently to see what she would have me do to my iCloud account, after she warned me about a data breach at the company. She suggested I go into my iPhone, iPad, and any other Apple devices I had and change some settings. Things got really interesting when she asked me to log into the terminal and type a command, something most Apple users never do because they have no idea what that is. It makes sense they would do this since any of the commands she might give would not be understood by the inexperienced user.

When I got the call from the same name for the second time today, it was a confident male who, when informed that I knew it was a scam and told him that he should be ashamed of himself for working it, insisted it wasn't. He told me my full name... He wasn't even bothered when I said that I was having his call traced and continued to argue with me. After a few minutes of this I simply hung up.

The scammer then had the nerve to call me back, not once, but twice!

Bottom line is, scammers are getting bolder and bolder. If you get a call from the above number or any number purporting to be from Apple asking about your iCloud account, even if the Apple logo is showing on your cell phone, hang up immediately. If you get this call on your cell phone where the real Apple number might be stored, it may LOOK like it is legitimate, but know the difference. Remember, Apple will never do this.

Here are some helpful articles, including a warning from Apple itself:

Avoid phishing emails, fake 'virus' alerts, phony support calls, and other scams
https://support.apple.com/en-g...

Apple Phone Phishing Scams Getting Better
https://krebsonsecurity.com/20...

Apple Warns iPhone Users Not To Answer Apple Support Calls
https://www.forbes.com/sites/d...