You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!

When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.

💡 Did you know?

⏺ If you can't accept iCloud Terms and Conditions... Learn more >

⏺ If you don't see your iCloud notes in the Notes app... Learn more >

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

I got hacked - malware


•If using iPhone to access internet using safari, can you access a site that infects your phone with malware to allow the virus to use your phone's camera to record you?•

i got an email saying this person recorded me. I know they were able to see my screen as they showed me a password to another site i got on after the other site and also gained access to my email.• So also how did they see my screen and how can i make sure im safe now?•

iPhone X

Posted on Feb 25, 2021 5:02 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Feb 25, 2021 5:18 AM

That email is a common scam.


Here’s a write-up on one variation of the scam:

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2018/07/sextortion-scam-uses-recipients-hacked-passwords/


I'll get the occasional mail message with an old password of mine akin to the message you received, which the miscreants have acquired from server breaches. They’ll make a few absurd claims, too. They can’t do what they claim, though you will want to avoid re-using passwords because these scams aren’t the only thing the miscreants will try with an old password.


Looooong thread about users getting lied to by pop-ups, which is another very common scam...


I got a popup that says “Your system is infected with (3) Viruses … - Apple Community


What you were reading in that mail or may (will?) have seen in the similar pop-ups was and is categorically, totally, completely, and utterly rubbish.


Recognize and avoid phishing messages, phony support calls, and other scams - Apple Support




Websites and scammers in general cannot scan your device, your Mac, your Windows system. Not without you having granted that access. Usually by loading whatever app they want you to load, or by giving them your credentials.


Scammers can cause you fear—or titillation, or disgust, or curiosity, or the self-doubt arising from gaslighting—to get you to act against your own interests.

9 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Feb 25, 2021 5:18 AM in response to evans_4

That email is a common scam.


Here’s a write-up on one variation of the scam:

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2018/07/sextortion-scam-uses-recipients-hacked-passwords/


I'll get the occasional mail message with an old password of mine akin to the message you received, which the miscreants have acquired from server breaches. They’ll make a few absurd claims, too. They can’t do what they claim, though you will want to avoid re-using passwords because these scams aren’t the only thing the miscreants will try with an old password.


Looooong thread about users getting lied to by pop-ups, which is another very common scam...


I got a popup that says “Your system is infected with (3) Viruses … - Apple Community


What you were reading in that mail or may (will?) have seen in the similar pop-ups was and is categorically, totally, completely, and utterly rubbish.


Recognize and avoid phishing messages, phony support calls, and other scams - Apple Support




Websites and scammers in general cannot scan your device, your Mac, your Windows system. Not without you having granted that access. Usually by loading whatever app they want you to load, or by giving them your credentials.


Scammers can cause you fear—or titillation, or disgust, or curiosity, or the self-doubt arising from gaslighting—to get you to act against your own interests.

Feb 25, 2021 5:27 AM in response to evans_4

evans_4 wrote:

Ok so thats great that they cant record me but how were they able to see my screen and how do i make sure they cant see it any more?


Who said they saw your screen? They did? Okay.


Did you consider that they lied about reading your screen, and lied about accessing your camera, too?


Some people will lie to you. Some will gaslight you.


If what they claimed were possible, it’d be wall-to-wall coverage across the Internet, as ~everybody would be reading everybody else’s screens, and ~everybody recording everybody else. There’d be congressional hearings and lawsuits in most countries, were what they claimed possible.


It’s. A. Scam.


They. Lie.




Feb 25, 2021 6:45 AM in response to evans_4

They possibly have your password from a previously hacked website, such as Yahoo, LinkedIn, or one of a hundred others that have been hacked over the years. The scammers purchase password info from the hackers, then attempt to extort money from other victims. Don’t be that victim. They know absolutely nothing about you, or your devices.

Feb 25, 2021 7:19 AM in response to MrHoffman

⭐️⭐️⭐️ I’m sticking my nose in here. Having been exposed to these scams on more than one occasion and having little to no previous experience. It can elicit the exact response they are looking for. Your response to this question was clear and detailed. Referencing personal experience, including links and documentation takes a very common experience and post and rendered it understandable and manageable. I’m truly not trying to critique your response but note that as a fellow user I have had this question and see it all the time. This reply, although posted to another’s question, answers many. I’m sure that’s part of the forum’s goal. I’ve responded because obviously it assisted me. Hence the thank you stars.

I got hacked - malware

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.