Updated anti-phishing advice from Apple and me

Updated August 2nd, 2024.

The easiest way for someone to gain access to your online accounts is to convince you to simply hand over the credentials. This is way easier than trying to “hack” in. That’s why they do it– they do it because it works. You need to be on your toes about this stuff– the bad guys are constantly “improving” their game, so you need to constantly improve your knowledge so you don’t fall for their schemes.

Apple recently put out an updated anti-phishing support document, full of great advice. You can read the full document here, or just get highlights in this article, from me. Either way, you need to know this stuff.

Apple’s document is pretty long, and it should be. And I’ve given you most of the key points here. But remember, you can use ChatGPT to summarize long documents.

Dos and Don’ts

1. Report suspicious emails that purport to be from Apple, but aren’t, by forwarding them to reportphishing@apple.com.
2. Never share personal data or security information like passwords or security codes, and never agree to enter them into a webpage that someone directs you to.
3. Never use Apple Gift Cards to make payments to other people.
4. To report spam that you receive in your iCloud.com, me.com, or mac.com Inbox, mark the spam emails as Junk or move them to your iCloud Junk folder. When you mark an email as junk, you help improve iCloud Mail filtering and reduce future spam.
5. If you get an unsolicited or suspicious phone call from someone claiming to be from Apple or Apple Support, just hang up. (If they claim to be from Microsoft Support or Windows Support, hang up on them too.)

Tell-tale signs of phony emails and messages

1. The sender’s email or phone doesn’t match the name of the company that it claims to be from.
2. A link in a message looks right, but the URL doesn’t match the company’s website. (On your Mac, hover the pointer over the link to see where it goes. On the iPhone, tap and hold to see where it goes.)
3. The message is unsolicited and contains an attachment or link.

Web browser tips

1. While browsing the web, if you see a pop-up or alert that offers you a free prize or warns you about security problems or viruses on your device, don’t believe it. Instead, just close that window. (If you can’t close the window– because there’s no close button– remember that you can close a window by typing ⌘-W. You can type ⌘-Q to quit the app if necessary.)
2. Don’t call the number or follow the links to claim the prize or fix the problem. Ignore the message and simply navigate away from the page or close the entire window or tab.
3. In Safari, go to Safari/Preferences… (or Safari/Settings…), then click the Websites button across the top. Then, click “Notifications.” See which websites are allowed to send you notifications. In my opinion, NO website needs to send you notifications– if you want to see the website’s content, you will go there yourself. Or, they can email you. You don’t need things popping up just because a website wants to get your attention. You can even uncheck the box that allows websites to ask for permission to send you notifications. That would take care of the problem going forward.

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