Pop-up message said my iPhone has been hacked, what to do?

It is a scam ignore it.

Scam pop-ups that claim your device is being hacked are unfortunately common tactics used by cybercriminals to try to trick users into taking actions that compromise their security. These pop-ups often attempt to create a sense of urgency to make you panic and take immediate action. Here are some steps you can take to avoid falling victim to these scams:

1. Scammers often use scare tactics to pressure you into making hasty decisions. Take a deep breath and remind yourself that legitimate alerts from your device or service providers won't use threatening language.
2. Do not click on any buttons, links, or pop-ups presented by the message. Avoid interacting with the pop-up in any way, as clicking on it could potentially trigger a harmful action.
3. Scam pop-ups may include phone numbers to call for "help." These numbers usually connect you to the scammers themselves or to fraudulent "tech support" that will try to extract personal information or money from you.
4. If the pop-up appears while you're browsing the web, close the tab or the entire app. You can do this by pressing the home button or using the task switcher to close the app on your device.
5. If the pop-up appears while you're using a web browser, consider clearing your browsing history and data. This can help remove any potentially harmful scripts or cookies that may have triggered the pop-up.
6. Ensure that your device's operating system, apps, and security software are up to date. Regular updates often include security patches that help protect you from known vulnerabilities.
7. Many browsers offer content blockers or ad-blockers that can help prevent malicious pop-ups from appearing while you browse the web. Consider using a reputable content blocker.
8. Make sure your device's pop-up blocker settings are enabled in your browser's settings. This can help prevent unwanted pop-ups from appearing.
9. Only click on links from sources you trust. Avoid clicking on suspicious links in emails, messages, or on websites you're not familiar with.

Remember that legitimate security alerts won't ask you to provide personal information, download software, or call a phone number. If you're unsure about the validity of a pop-up, it's always best to err on the side of caution and follow the steps outlined above to protect yourself.

Federal Trade Commission – How To Spot, Avoid, and Report Tech Support Scams

"Tech support scammers may try to trick you with a pop-up window that appears on your computer screen. It might look like an error message from your operating system or antivirus software, and it might use logos from trusted companies or websites. The message in the window warns you about a security issue on your computer and tells you to call a phone number to get help.

If you get this kind of pop-up window on your computer, don’t call the number. Real security warnings and messages will never ask you to call a phone number."

Substitute "phone" for "computer" and the advice is just as good.

Power off the phone, wait a minute, power up the phone again.

Remember that just because you see a message.......it does not mean that it is true. Scams are everywhere.

Ignore and delete any messages that claim that "viruses have been detected" or "your phone has been hacked".

Apppleapple wrote:

Ive gotten at least 20 of those messages from apple and today a new one from google. i didn’t click on any of then but the google one had went to the app page for me without clicking it. All of them had timers on them but i don’t think it actually meant anything. I don’t know if I’m getting these because someone is spying and tracking where i go because it always seems to pop up on websites that have things like corn videos and video downloading apps for youtube videos. Would this stop if i just avoided those?

There are several ways that scammers display messages like this.

One is when you visit certain Web sites. The scam message pops up, and often tries to hijack your browser and take over your device. You can avoid these by noting which Web sites abused you in this fashion and not going back to those Web sites again.

Another is using Web notifications. A Web site gets your "permission" to send notifications (these sites can be very sneaky about that). Then you get a stream of spams and scams that continue, whether you return to that Web site or not. These things afflict Macs, Windows PCs, ChromeBooks - any platform that has support for the Web notification "feature" of modern Web standards.

The way you block those is to go into your browser preferences – for ALL the browsers that you use – disabling "permission" for Web sites to send you these things. The following User Tip describes how to do this for Safari, on Macs.

Stop unwanted Notifications - Apple Community

Then there are scammers who send SMS text messages directly to your phone number. Which they could have discovered the same way that telemarketers do.

Ignore the message and keep working.. Just because you saw a message does not mean that it is true.

Your phone is fine. Someone is trying to trick you into buying useless junk software. Don't fall for the scare tactics.

Just because you see a message does not mean that it is true.

I keep getting pop ups for a site that has "proof" that the earth is flat.

Your phone has not been hacked and no one is tracking you.

Ignore and delete the messages.

Ignore the message. They are trying to sell you junk software that you do not need.

If you fall for the scam, your pocketbook will be lighter and your phone will run slower.

As long as you didn’t enter anything on the website you are safe. You cannot be hacked by visiting a website, but your personal information can be compromised if you entered anything.

denyce08 wrote:

This happened to all 3 iPhones in my house today. What’s going on and what would have caused it ?

That same thing is going on, and the same thing caused it as all the other mentions in this thread. It's a scam caused by bad people trying to get information from you. Dismiss the notification.

Thousands of users see scam messages like this every day. Smart users ignore the delete the message and keep working.

Delete whatever you downloaded. See→Avoid phishing emails, fake ‘virus‘ alerts, phony support calls, and other scams

Tinablancolalli wrote:

I keep getting pop ups my i phone has been hacked & someone is tracking me

Your phone has not been hacked, and no one is tracking you. It's all a scam to get money and/or information from you. Read the rest of the thread.

hovhannes258 wrote:

It says you phone was hacked,all things you do with phone are viewed by a hacker,immediately do something and stuff no number,no ling only button close

Yup, that's what it says. And it's a lie.

Either force quit the app or restart the phone.

Same thing I got the pop-up twice the first time I panicked and factory reset my phone. The second time I decided to go here it’s just a scam. Don’t worry, but I did notice some odd things when I was in settings. I was turning a passcode on just in case, and when I was doing that, let’s just say Face ID for iTunes and App Store turned off and then turned back on which I noticed was strange. Also saw some red thing when I was switching a webpage and it looked weird. It almost looked like the Pinterest logo. I wasn’t actually able to see what it was but those are just some things I not other than that. I’m pretty sure it’s just a scam, but it is the second time I’ve seen it so it’s more common, and it happens that it only happens on that phone. It doesn’t happen on my iPad and it never happened on my older iPhone. OK I should probably wrap this up because this is really long.