I just received a text from a hotmail address and here are the contents:

The fact it came from a Hotmail email should have been a major red flag.

Yes, that is a scam, a very common and prolific one. Block the ender, forward the email to report phishing @ apple dot com (no spaces) and delete it. Do not call the number and do not engage with it in any way.

click here ➜ Identify legitimate emails from the App Store or iTunes Store - Apple Support

Nope no targeting, just the exact same spam message that has been going around for a while now. It cost them nothing to send them out and they go to any generated email address. The ones that are not successful are just bounced back and they could care less. The fact that it was not bounced back, means they found a target, so it goes in a pool of valid addresses. I suppose you could say that the valid email addresses are targeted, but it was not because you used the App Store.

Dr-ImposterY2K wrote:

Mac Jim ID write:

just the exact same spam message that has been going around for a while now

Just to clarify, is there some sentiment that such messages shouldn’t be forwarded to Apples support (https://support.apple.com/en-us/102568

§How to report suspicious emails, messages, and calls) It just seems like there is some push back here about taking it more seriously than common junk mail spam.

You can and should forward it to Apple as suggested above, there's no reason not to. That does not mean it's anything but a run of the mill phishing scam attempt.

Both things can be true and being common is not a reason not to forward it.

Dr-ImposterY2K wrote:

Just to clarify, is there some sentiment that such messages shouldn’t be forwarded to Apples support (https://support.apple.com/en-us/102568

§How to report suspicious emails, messages, and calls) It just seems like there is some push back here about taking it more seriously than common junk mail spam.

It is the most common junk mail spam that we have seen here in the last three months. The sending address is spoofed and will not be the same and the phone number has been different from some of them as well, but the text and dollar amount is exactly the same.

As for reporting, that is your call and I would not tell you not to do it. You can report it today and receive the exact same message tomorrow with a different spoofed email address and phone number. That is a personal decision in what you want to do, and there is no right answer. Some won't waste their time and simply delete and enjoy the rest of the day and others put the effort into reporting every spam email they receive.

This can be a scam. If you want to be sure, contact the official apple support for further information and reference

Dr-ImposterY2K wrote:

I’m not sure how this action alone could give threat actors enough information to spear phish me.

It did not. It's a mere coincidence. These scammers are constantly checking for emails to use whether or not it has anything to do with the App Store.

It's a popular scam.

Dr-ImposterY2K wrote:

Whether a coincidence or not, the mere fact that I rarely get phishing messages and more specifically iMessages, coupled with the fact that it was mere hours after opening the Apple Store app for the first time on any device implied that it was not only targeting my Apple Account, as opposed to my email or phone number, but the Apple Account used to open an application on my device would, IMHO signal something to be more concerned about than just a common spam message.

It was a coincidence. It's an amazingly common bit of scam. These folks use programs to generate possible email addresses and possible phone numbers and then send the messages out by the tens of thousands. It was just your lucky day. It means nothing more than that.

Mac Jim ID write:

just the exact same spam message that has been going around for a while now

Just to clarify, is there some sentiment that such messages shouldn’t be forwarded to Apples support (https://support.apple.com/en-us/102568

§How to report suspicious emails, messages, and calls) It just seems like there is some push back here about taking it more seriously than common junk mail spam.

Dr-ImposterY2K wrote:

I recently received the same message from naje*******6@hotmail.com hours after using the Apple Store app for the first time. As I’m not familiar with the app eco system on Apple devices, I’m not sure how this action alone could give threat actors enough information to spear phish me.

It's not spear phishing, just regular phishing. The same message is being sent to millions of people.

I recently received the same message from naje*******6@hotmail.com hours after using the Apple Store app for the first time. As I’m not familiar with the app eco system on Apple devices, I’m not sure how this action alone could give threat actors enough information to spear phish me. I recommend filing a complaint at http://ic3.gov in any case. There is also some really good info at https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/stop-unwanted-robocalls-and-texts

[Edited by Moderator]

Go to https://haveibeenpwned.com and see if your email address or password is available to criminals on the dark web.

And expect to get more. I just read that the scam industry earned $12.5 BILLION last year. It’s a “business” with a very high profit margin. You can get into the scam business for under $1,000, or anyone can subscribe to a “SaaS” (Scam as a Service) account and just pay a small fee for successful scams. And, if you are not in a developed country, your chances of getting caught are nil.

It was just a coincidence. These texts and emails, with almost the exact same wording, have been going around since July 2024. I get 2 to 3 a week now.

Whether a coincidence or not, the mere fact that I rarely get phishing messages and more specifically iMessages, coupled with the fact that it was mere hours after opening the Apple Store app for the first time on any device implied that it was not only targeting my Apple Account, as opposed to my email or phone number, but the Apple Account used to open an application on my device would, IMHO signal something to be more concerned about than just a common spam message.

Dr-ImposterY2K wrote:

Just to clarify, is there some sentiment that such messages shouldn’t be forwarded to Apples support (https://support.apple.com/en-us/102568

§How to report suspicious emails, messages, and calls) It just seems like there is some push back here about taking it more seriously than common junk mail spam.

I don't bother. I have better things to do with my time. The email addresses and phone numbers are all spoofed anyway. There's no reason to take it more seriously than common junk mail spam because it's precisely as common.

No one here will try to stop you if you want to forward it to someone. However, don't expect reporting it to anyone to stop it from happening in the future.

Dr-ImposterY2K wrote:

Just to clarify, is there some sentiment that such messages shouldn’t be forwarded to Apples support

And now you've gotten three answers, all slightly different. One person encourages you to report, another says don't bother and a third that it's a personal decision.