Outline:
SMS purporting to be from iCloud claims that your Apple iCloud ID expires today and you should therefore follow a link in the message to confirm details and prevent account termination.
Brief Analysis:
The SMS is not from iCloud support as claimed. It is a phishing scam designed to steal your Apple ID login credentials as well as your credit card numbers and other sensitive personal information.
Example:
[Name] Your Apple iCloud ID expires today. To prevent termination confirm
your details at [Web address] – iCloud
Support
Detailed Analysis:
According to this SMS, which purports to be from iCloud Support, your Apple iCloud ID expires today. The message claims that, to prevent termination of your Apple ID, you must follow a link and confirm your details.
However, the SMS is not from ‘iCloud Support’ or anybody else at Apple. And, the claim that your Apple ID is set to expire is untrue. In fact, the SMS is a phishing scam designed to steal your Apple ID and password, your credit card details, and other personal information.
If you click the link in the message, you will be taken to a fake Apple website and asked to login with your Apple ID and password. The fake page has been built to closely mirror the appearance of the genuine Apple website. After ‘logging in’ on the fake site, a popup message will appear that claims that your Apple account has been locked for security reasons.
If you then click the ‘Unlock’ link, you will be taken to another fake page that asks you to confirm your account by providing your credit card numbers and your name, address, and contact details. It may also collect other sensitive information by tricking you into answering supposed account security questions.
Alas, all of the information you supply on the fake site can be collected by criminals and used to hijack your Apple account and commit credit card fraud and identity theft.
The web address contained in the SMS may vary in different versions of the scam.
Apple account phishing scams are very common and are regularly distributed via email as well as via SMS. In fact, criminals are increasingly using SMS as a means of contacting potential victims. If you receive one of these messages, do not follow any links that it contains.
The Apple website includes information about phishing scams and how to report them.
Last updated: April 20, 2016
First published: April 20, 2016
By Brett M. Christensen
About Hoax-Slayer
References
‘We Don’t Recognize The Device You’re Using’ Apple ID Phishing Scam
Phishing Scams – Anti-Phishing Information
Phishing & Other Suspicious Emails
Cybercriminals Using Text Messages To Distribute PayPal Phishing Scams
Original Source : https://www.hoax-slayer.net/your-apple-icloud-id-expires-today-sms-scam/