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Virus?

I clicked on a website and something popped up saying my iPhone was infected with a virus and to click on this at the bottom it would take you to Apple apps to download the app that will get rid of 4 viruses on my phone. It also had a timer counting down from 4 minutes. Anyone had this happen before? Is it real?

iPhone 13 Pro Max, iOS 16

Posted on Apr 29, 2023 7:17 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Apr 29, 2023 7:37 PM

Apple04Me Said:

"Virus?: I clicked on a website and something popped up saying my iPhone was infected with a virus and to click on this at the bottom it would take you to Apple apps to download the app that will get rid of 4 viruses on my phone. It also had a timer counting down from 4 minutes. Anyone had this happen before? Is it real?"

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That is a Scam Message:

So, what to do...

A. Force Restart your iPhone:

To safely get out of this, Force Restart your iPhone. Go here: Force Restart iPhone - Apple Support


and...


B. Report this to Apple:

So, report this messages info to Apple, and your federal government, if an option. Provide the screenshot and the URL of this thread. Use my User: Using the Photos App to Report Scams - User Tip

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9 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Apr 29, 2023 7:37 PM in response to Apple04Me

Apple04Me Said:

"Virus?: I clicked on a website and something popped up saying my iPhone was infected with a virus and to click on this at the bottom it would take you to Apple apps to download the app that will get rid of 4 viruses on my phone. It also had a timer counting down from 4 minutes. Anyone had this happen before? Is it real?"

-------


That is a Scam Message:

So, what to do...

A. Force Restart your iPhone:

To safely get out of this, Force Restart your iPhone. Go here: Force Restart iPhone - Apple Support


and...


B. Report this to Apple:

So, report this messages info to Apple, and your federal government, if an option. Provide the screenshot and the URL of this thread. Use my User: Using the Photos App to Report Scams - User Tip

Apr 29, 2023 7:29 PM in response to Apple04Me

A malware scan is immensely detailed and in-depth operation, and a malware scan requires deep, deep access into all of your data. All of it. That’s not something a remote website can or should be able to do. It’s blocked by iOS. (If a website could scan your iPhone, the miscreants would just upload your passwords and everything else.) Local apps also can’t scan your iPhone storage. That too is blocked by iOS. Which means that the “virus!!!” website lied when they “scanned” your iPhone. It’s usually an advert for an add-on product that you don’t need and that will badly solve a problem you don’t have; a problem that hasn’t existed for a decade or so.

Virus?

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