I think I just got hacked. I received a text that said I received a charge of that has been flagged and to call 1********8. Was I hacked? What should I do?
[Edited by Moderator]
Original Title: Hacked?
iPhone 16, iOS 26
First off, chances are you were NOT hacked.
This is a common social engineering attack designed to trick users into a knee-jerk response of '**** no! I didn't make that charge", and so you rush to call the number which just happens to be a scammer who will do their darnedest to suck every dollar out of your bank account under the guise of either 'securing your system' or needing your bank account details to 'initiate a refund'.
DO NOT RESPOND - or if you do, send them a snarky message telling them where to stick some sharp pointy object.
If you're really concerned, check your bank account for unexpected transactions - if it were a real charge it would be listed there, and then contact your bank's fraud department for help, but the chances are this isn't going to be necessary.
These scammers send out millions of such messages hoping to catch the 0.1% of people who reply, in the hope of getting 1% of them to actually fall into their trap. It's a numbers game, don't be on the wrong side of that statistic.
First off, chances are you were NOT hacked.
This is a common social engineering attack designed to trick users into a knee-jerk response of '**** no! I didn't make that charge", and so you rush to call the number which just happens to be a scammer who will do their darnedest to suck every dollar out of your bank account under the guise of either 'securing your system' or needing your bank account details to 'initiate a refund'.
DO NOT RESPOND - or if you do, send them a snarky message telling them where to stick some sharp pointy object.
If you're really concerned, check your bank account for unexpected transactions - if it were a real charge it would be listed there, and then contact your bank's fraud department for help, but the chances are this isn't going to be necessary.
These scammers send out millions of such messages hoping to catch the 0.1% of people who reply, in the hope of getting 1% of them to actually fall into their trap. It's a numbers game, don't be on the wrong side of that statistic.
That sounds like a common scam text, not a hack. Scammers send messages about “flagged charges” to get people to call the number so they can try to trick you into giving personal or banking info.
The best thing to do is ignore it, don’t call the number, and delete the message. If you’re worried, check your bank account directly through the official app or website. Your phone itself isn’t hacked just from receiving a text, but if you want to be safe you can run a scan with something like certo antispy to check for any spyware or suspicious apps.
The messages are scam attempts, presented by criminals. Do not interact with the message or the sender. For information from Apple regarding such bogus messages, please read the information at the link below. Receiving a text message or email is NOT a sign of being hacked. There are millions of such scam messages sent/received daily.
Recognize and avoid social engineering schemes ... - Apple Support
How do I handle a suspicious text message about a flagged charge on my iPhone?
