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Rescue email phishing scam from id.apple.com

I think there's a new scam going around. This morning I recieved, completely out of the blue, an email supposedly from appleid@id.apple.com telling me to confirm my rescue email address. The email looked genuine and the links, when hovered over, seemed to go to the right place but id.apple.com isn't familiar to me, I've not made any account changes recently, and Apple don't use rescue emails do they?

Also - I don't think Apple just email people out of the blue with requests for personal information like this.

So this would appear to be a new phishing attempt. Looks like a scam, smells like a scam and tastes like a scam.

If anyone knows any different it would be interesting to hear their opinions. For the time being I forwarded the email to Apple's phishing dept and trashed it.


Email :

User uploaded file


Message was edited by: chrisell - added pic of email

iPhone 4S, Windows 7

Posted on Apr 20, 2012 8:54 AM

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Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Apr 20, 2012 9:41 AM

Ok so I know what happened now. Someone else in my family was presented with the new security questions this morning on their phone but couldn't go any further without supplying a "rescue" email address. Like most people, they only have one email address and Apple won't let you use the same email for the primary and "rescue" address (obviously). So they used my email address instead, hence the verification email for their account coming to me.


This would appear to be genuine then.

61 replies

Apr 24, 2012 2:09 PM in response to chrisell

I had the same thing happen. If it is a scam its an amazingly good one. I filled it out after contemplating, then googled it and got here. Just to make sure, I signed onto my accound throught iTunes on my computer. The rescue email I entered was there in iTunes so that means 1 of two things


1. Its legit

2. the scam has a way to take your info and still update what you entered through iTunes.


So just to be sure while still signed in through iTunes I just went ahead and changed my password. Since I was signed in directly through iTunes, I wasn't worried.


I dont get why apple would make the address id.apple.com when their typical one is appleid.apple.com

Apr 27, 2012 10:53 AM in response to skewstudio

I'm not convinced that this isn't a phishing scam because the email I received was incorrect. I find it hard to believe that Apple would make a mistake and get the email addresses mixed up the email I got stated:


"You’ve taken the added security step and provided a rescue email address. Now all you need to do is verify that it belongs to you.
The rescue email address that you gave us is iXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX. Just click the link below to verify, sign in using your Apple ID and password, "


Unfortunately the email they stated was my primary email address and not the rescue email I added recently.


I won't be responding to the email - because the one I received didn't resonate with Apple efficiency: a good attempt but just not good enough to convince me

Apr 30, 2012 1:06 PM in response to chrisell

I also received this email, and agree it looks phishy. I did add a rescue email, so the timing is right, but the id.apple.com seemed odd. So what I did is I logged into my apple id the normal way, and added an "additional email" to see it what it would do. It generated another verification email which looks about the same and points to the same site (id.apple.com). I verified using the first email, and the additional email also showed as verified after I did it. So it seems that the email is legit, but carefully inspect the link as this is an obvious gateway for phishing. Apple should know better and provide a way to do this without clicking a link in an email. For example, they can send a code to the email to be verified, then you log in (normally) and paste in the code. A lot of other websites do this.


TL;DR

Very badly done, Apple.

Apr 30, 2012 1:47 PM in response to chrisell

I got the same thing and I think it is relatd to a new app I bought on my iPhone. The app was SocialCam. During signup I was asked to set a confidential question and alternate email. Lo and behold those two things are what I'm now getting confirmation emails about from Apple. Sooo...I'm wondering if there is a legit connection between getting this new app (Social Cam) or if it is a vehicle for a phishing scam (or worse - did it already breach my account). Anybody else experience any issues relating to SocialCam purchase?

Apr 30, 2012 2:12 PM in response to Tim Richards

Apple are implementing new security with some rather inane juvenile question/answer pairs.


User uploaded file


..for example and other similar themes..


It seems a 'rescue email' address can be provided to retrieve your additional security answers.


Did you have to enter things in order to 'purchase' the app (free or not) or when using the app - if the latter it's odd, if just to purchase it it's probably par for the course.


AC

Apr 30, 2012 2:25 PM in response to Alley_Cat

I think it was when I tried to set up the app to use it - however, I was a bit distracted while I was getting/setting it up. I think I finally resolved it though - I went to the AppleID page and told it to resend me the verification email. That confirmed that it really was an email from Apply. Once I confirmed the rescue address via email, it showed up as such on the AppleID website os I think it is legit. Interesting, it has been harder than I thought it would be to determine that this was no phishing. Thanks for the input.

May 1, 2012 5:50 AM in response to chrisell

It's legit but very, very poor form by Apple. The wording of the e-mail is poor, the id of the link is sus and the requirement to re-enter AppleId and Password etc just smacks of a phishing scam. I even logged on directly to my Account and there is no mention of a rescue email address.


After hours of trying to determine if the e-mail I received was legitimate or not my wife comes home and tells me she tried to use the AppStore and was asked to provide an alternate e-mail address and she gave it mine! So it is legitimate.


She was also extremely unimpressed by the puerile question/answer options being offered. I guess I'll now go and click on the e-mail link to confirm but BIG THUMBS DOWN to Apple.

May 2, 2012 8:37 AM in response to chrisell

I saw the domain akadns.net and feared the worst (aka meaning 'also known as', dns meaning dns) so asked Apple how I should report the scam. The response was that they use some outfit called Akamai to distribute content (whatever that means) and the domain is legitimate. With that reassurance I opened the e-mail (I'd only viewed the headers up to that point)


‘Rescue e-mail address’ is something I’d never heard of before being intercepted into signing up for it by the iOS App Store last night. I nearly used the word ‘mugged’ instead of ‘intercepted’ as it was unasked-for, interrupted the process that I had started, and was badly explained. The questions were pretty infantile too.


I try very hard never to confirm personal details in response to an unsolicited e-mail from a domain I don’t recognise, and in fact, keep the MS Outlook preview pane closed so that I don’t accidentally open e-mails of this sort - in case they carry an unwanted payload.


I still don’t get the concept and think that it probably reduces my security rather than increasing it, by giving two routes for someone to get hold of my Apple ID rather than one. Has this been thought through properly by people that understand security or is it just a marketing wheeze?

May 3, 2012 1:53 PM in response to chrisell

I attempted to buy a 99 cent app today. Before the purchase was completed, I was asked to add three security questions and give an alternate "rescue" email address. I puzzled at this unusual request, but I complied, especially since I had never been asked these questions before. (In the worse case, I would not use these question/answers again). I was asked if I still wanted to purchase the app. I clicked "yes", but nothing happened. No app, no message, no link.


I checked my alternate "rescue" address. There was a verification email, but it did not include my name... It was addressed only to the email address! I became suspicious of a phishing scam and directly contacted apple instead of using the "verify" link. At the verified Apple site I discovered that the new questions were already added, but the new alternate "rescue" address was not. I offered the same alternate "rescue" email address at the verified apple site, but I was immediately told that this address could not be used because it was being used for me.com! I entered a different email address and received a very different email addressed to me by name, which I verified.


Is this a sloppy Apple update procedure or a phishing scam? And what happened to my app purchase? I've been told that Apple's security is just as vulnerable as Microsoft's but Apple has just been too small. I would like to believe that Apple's OS and systems are more secure, but now I wonder. Can anybody provide an official answer?

Rescue email phishing scam from id.apple.com

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