If You Received An Unverified Apple Pay Usage Text, It's Probably A Scam - Here's How To Know

Scammers always come up with new ways to scam unsuspecting internet users. These days, they're using modern technologies like AI to portray themselves as legitimate individuals in front of their target audience. We recently covered the DMV scam, where the scammers were reaching out to targets via text message as a DMV official and asking them to clear their outstanding traffic ticket. Now it appears that another similar kind of scam is on the rise, where users are receiving text messages about unverified Apple Pay usage.

Many users have posted about receiving such messages on the Apple community forum and Reddit. According to a Reddit user, the message came from the Apple Security Division, and it says that:

"Your Apple ID (Case ID: 64918273508) has triggered a security warning. A pending $387.99 charge at APPLE STORE—Orlando, FL was detected via Apple Pay Pre-Authorization. Additionally, multiple unauthorized sign-in attempts and Apple Pay setup requests from unknown devices have been flagged. These actions are temporarily blocked, and the charge is under investigation."

The message further provides an Apple support number, along with a link to get assistance. Firstly, the message is definitely from a scammer. It's a classic example of a phishing attack, where the scammer attempts to obtain your personal information and other details by impersonating Apple. But how can you actually determine if the text message is really from Apple or if it is from a scammer? Also, what should you do next once you are sure that the message is from a scammer? Here's everything you need to know.

Scammers these days are using AI technologies to generate text messages that look like they were sent from a genuine source. Fortunately, you'll always find a few elements common in these messages that will help you identify that they have been sent by a scammer. Firstly, these messages will look significantly different from the other messages that you may have received from the same company before. 

Additionally, the sender's phone number or email will be very random, as you can see in the screenshot provided by Jeff Donald, where he received the unverified Apple Pay usage text message from "offajewzij20@." Messages sent by a scammer will always request that you provide your personal information, such as account passwords, verification codes, or credit card details. However, genuine companies, such as Apple in this case, never ask for such information to provide support. Another thing that you will find in a message sent by a scammer is unwanted attachments. 

These messages will often ask you to click on the attached link to get assistance from the expert team. However, if you closely look at the URL, you will find that it does not match the company's website. In some text messages, like the one under discussion, you'll also find the phone number of the customer support team. You can quickly conduct a Google search on the phone number to verify if it actually belongs to the company from which you received the message.

Once you're sure that the message is from a scammer, the next thing you need to do is report it to Apple. You need to take a screenshot of the text message and send it to reportphishing@apple.com. After this, you need to take some important measures to ensure that your Apple account and iPhone remain safe from bad actors. You should use two-factor authentication for your Apple account to ensure it doesn't become easy for a malicious agent to gain access to your account. 

If you're using Apple Cash, be sure not to share your transaction details with anyone else. You should also download applications for your Apple device only through the App Store and not through any unauthorized third-party platforms. Also, as mentioned earlier, you should never try to contact the phone number mentioned in a suspicious text message or click on the URL attached to it. Lastly, you should never reply to these messages, and if you really need support from Apple on any matter, you can contact them through their official support channels.