Watch out for Apple phishing scam

CHARLOTTE — Action 9 picked up on a new phishing scam.

It’s like the money app ones Jason Stoogenke always warns you about, the ones where scammers pretend to be with your bank’s fraud department and call you, saying you’ve just fallen victim to a con and that they’re there to help.

This version involves Apple, specifically Apple Pay, Apple credit cards, and iCloud.

Kristi Fabregas says she got a message “that somebody tried to take almost $13,000 on my Apple card and it was declined.”

“Couple minutes later, my phone rang, said it was Mr. Williams from Apple fraud support,” she told Stoogenke. She says the scammer gave her instructions, which ultimately gave him access to her account and other apps, including her bank.

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“They ended up getting my bank account number and transferring $1,400 out,” she said. She says the thief kept stealing money beyond that. “As of right now, [$]2,200,” she said.

And that’s not all. “They have all my contacts, all my pictures, for the last 20-plus years,” she said.

“Very frustrating. I’m like, ‘I’m smarter than this.’ I’m like, ‘I know better.’”

A Channel 9 employee was also targeted. A scammer texted her that someone had used her iCloud information to spend $143 using Apple Pay. In that case, the con artist wanted her to call a certain number or click a certain link to stop the bleeding. She didn’t fall victim.

Action 9 contacted Apple to see if it could help Fabregas and whether it had any other advice for consumers. We didn’t hear back in time for this report.