Over the past few years, more and more iCloud storage scams have appeared, and these can be very challenging.
It’s the type of scam that might not seem like a lot, but it does end up affecting you greatly and you need to avoid it. Thankfully, we are here to offer all the necessary information and assistance you need.
How does the iCloud storage scams work?
The idea here is that they send you an email claiming your iCloud storage is full or it might be suspended. There are times when scammers will say you are getting a free upgrade, or that your backups and photos might be deleted.
It’s all about forcing you to enter that link and share your Apple credentials. Even if these scams are not new, there are more and more prevalent because some people are falling for them.
What happens if you are clicking the link?
The main issue is that you are sharing your Apple information with other people. Clearly, they can access your stored payment methods, backups and personal data.
How do you know that you dealt with iCloud storage scams? There are some signs, like sudden slowness, a very fast battery drain, some random Apple ID sign in alerts, 2 factor authentication prompts coming out of nowhere and so on. If you have these, you can’t just ignore them, and instead you want to deal with these properly.
How can you spot iCloud storage scams?
- First, you always want to check the sender info. If these emails don’t come from Apple themselves, don’t even bother with them. Check the sender’s name to see who they are from before opening or downloading anything.
- Spelling and tone will always be aggressive or even threatening. That’s because they are trying to make you take action right away.
- There’s an innate sense of urgency, and that’s always a red flag. Apple will never force you to act on something or they delete stuff in a few hours.
- There’s also no personalization with iCloud storage scam emails. They never call you by name, because they don’t know your name to begin with.
- Scam emails will always force you to act by adding a button inside the message. If there was ever a real email from Apple, they would just tell you about the service you need to access and they would never share a link.
All these things are a clear sign that something is wrong. But whether you are busy, you are rushing or don’t pay attention, it is possible to think that such a scam email is from Apple.
However, it’s crucial to never rush and instead figure out where these emails come from and not enter any links.
Check the real iCloud status
Enter the system settings, click on the Apple account and select iCloud to assess the storage breakdown. You want to use a cleanup tool to remove any unnecessary and random iCloud files from there.
Plus, here you can see the amount of storage, so if an email says the storage is full yet you still have lots of space, you are clearly dealing with a scammer. Pay attention to every small detail, because that will always make a huge difference.
Be aware of different scam types
There are all kinds of scams out there and it’s crucial to know how to deal with them. For example, aside from just iCloud storage scams, there are payment declined scams, iCloud locked warnings, fake support phone numbers, subscription renewal confirmations and security alert messages.
All these things matter and you always want to address them to the best of your capabilities. Be aware of where these emails come from, never click stuff that’s outside of Apple or people you trust. That will limit the damage caused by any of these scams.
What can you do if you already clicked?
- The first thing you want to do is to change the Apple password, if you shared it.
- Review your account activity and connected devices.
- You also want to check the payment methods and any recent transactions.
- Enable or confirm 2 factor authentication.
Plus, if you think that malware came from a suspicious link, use a Mac cleanup tool to help you remove the malware properly. It’s a nifty idea and it will help you deal with any scams.
It doesn’t seem like much, but in the end, it will allow you to improve and focus more on protecting your online integrity.
Conclusion
There’s always going to be some sort of scam running around, so you have to be wary of these issues. The most important thing is to understand how these scams work, how to identify them and of course, how to stay away from these scammers. In doing so, you can protect your data and not worry about any issues.
