Q: Safari-Alert ?scam?

Read something similar to this today.   It is a scam.   Do not follow any instructions, delete what you can after reporting the matter to Apple.  reportphishing@apple.com

1. Some of those scam pages can be dismissed very easily. Press command-W to close the tab or window. A huge box will pop up. Press the return key and both the box and the page will close. If that doesn't happen, continue.

2. From the Safari menu bar, select

          Safari ▹ Preferences... ▹ Security

and uncheck the box marked Enable JavaScript. Leave the preferences dialog open.

Close the malicious window or tab.

Re-enable JavaScript and close the preferences dialog.

3. If the Preferences menu item is grayed out, quit Safari. Force quit if necessary. Relaunch it by holding down the shift key and clicking its icon in the Dock. From the menu bar, select

          Safari ▹ Preferences... ▹ Privacy ▹ Remove All Website Data

to get rid of any cookies or other data left by the server. Open your Downloads folder and delete anything you don't recognize.

I had the same problem. You just have to quit safari and turn the wifi off. Then restart safari and put a different web address on safari then turn the wifi back on. That fixed my problem.

I had the same "alert" so I followed the instructions they (apparently Apple Support) gave me, and I had to paid $160 for a online service to solve the issue and "clean" my mac.

The phone number and e-mail of TECH CARE LIVE INC the company that provided the supposed support is

Did you give them access to your Mac and did they install any software on it?

Same issue here but I did not call since it is not a phone# from Apple, do you know the shortcut to disable Javascript (menu are not accessible and there is no shortcut in the develop menu on my MacBook)?

Yes they accessed my mac and installed CCleaner for Mac form Piriform Ltd. They used Disk Utility>Verify/Repair permissions and then said I had to use the installed app every week to prevent future unauthorized access. Unfortunately the Safari Screnn was grayed out with the message "Safari can't Access the URL..." and was showing the Apple Support phone number which was exactly the same number in the alert, that why I called them.

They may have installed a cracked version of the app. Delete CCleaner and whatever app they used to remotely access your Mac. Most applications can be uninstalled by dragging them from the Applications folder to the trash.

Legitimate companies seldom use pop-ups in this manner, so if you see such a pop-up in the future, research it before calling the number or anything. I would also dispute the $160 charge with your credit card company since these guys are scammers claiming to be Apple.

Laurent Seroude wrote:

 

Same issue here but I did not call since it is not a phone# from Apple, do you know the shortcut to disable Javascript (menu are not accessible and there is no shortcut in the develop menu on my MacBook)?

Force quit Safari. Press Command ⌘ + option + esc, select Safari, press Force Quit. While holding the 'shift' key, click the Safari icon in the dock to relaunch it. If this doesn't work, disconnect from the Internet and then relaunch Safari normally. This should prevent the malicious webpage from reloading, and should give you access to the menu bar.

Once the menu bar is accessible again, go to Safari > Preferences, or press Command ⌘ and the , (comma) key. Go to the Advanced tab. Click the check box to enable the Develop menu. Then go to Develop > Disable JavaScript.

Thanks SteveJobsfan0123:

I deleted the CCleanner app with my  "AppCleanner" application and I also looked for the remote access app they used to "clean" my mac , however I couldn't find it. It looked something like this when they requested to access it :

I hope it was disconnected when they finished the process, if not is there any way to prevent them to access my mac without my authorization?

Finally I already submitted an stop payment claim to my Bank.

One of my users got this panel:

while connected to APexchange.com  (Notice that the phone number is a bit different.)  We will report it to them as well as apple.  (I suspect that the scammers have bought a pop-up ad.)

stevejobsfan0123 wrote:

 

I would also dispute the $160 charge with your credit card company since these guys are scammers claiming to be Apple.

You should notify your credit card company because they will probably want to cancel your card number and issue you a new one.  Who knows where your numbers have been?

I reported the issue to my bank and requested an stop payment to my card, they then gave me a new cad, and also recommended to change my passwords with them , which I did.

I also immediately reported to Apple the issue to: reportphishing@apple.com, and asked for their instructions or recommendations to be sure which information on my mac they may have accessed and that no suspicious or remote control application was installed during the so called "service", so they can gain access again to my mac without my authorization.Unfortunately I have had not received any answer at this point.

Thank you all for the advise

I allowed access to them too... I closed the page where they were controlling my mac. Do they still have control of my mac? If they do, how do i completely disconnect with them. I gave them my number n my email address. I hung up before making payments, so i didnt give them the credit card info and stuff. By the way they didnt install any app. They downloaded some webpage tho. I force quit safari and now its working properly. But the problems are, that I agreed to what they said once, and its probably recorded. and the other one is, that they once had control of my pc. plz help