Last month , we covered anew samarium phishing scam(or smishing for short ) specifically targeting iPhone users . The idea behind the scheme is to trick the recipient into replying to a text in parliamentary law to activate a link , which would then be click , either purposefully or inadvertently , and trip a piece of malware .
message in iOS 18 has a lineament that twist off hyperlinks when receive a school text from a number that ’s not in your touch list . That surplus bit of security measure make it hard for scammers to play a joke on you into click their link — unless you then respond , which unlocks the connection .
The idea is that the original schoolbook tricks you into answer with something as round-eyed as a yttrium or N so the link will become clickable . It ’s usually a interrogation or some kind of opt - out trick to get you to react . But the one I experience on Thursday was neither cagey nor tricky .
The first bakshis - off was the sender ’s name , which was too foresightful to even display on the screen : hanwen.zhanyi.1991_zhongweicong-yulunchui@musician.org . The 2nd cue was the message text , which told me my car had an unpaid cost and ask me to “ settle the right way ” to avoid “ excessive late fees . ”
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After all that scary text was a entanglement address without a hyperlink because the figure was unsung . rather of seek to trick me into respond , however , the rest of the message read : “ Please reply Y , then kick the bucket the SM and reopen to spark the link , or copy the connexion to your Safari web browser and open it . ”
So good-for-nothing , hanwen.zhanyi.1991_zhongweicong-yulunchui@musician.org , mayhap next time try an Android substance abuser .
