It is simple for iPhone thieves to reset settings to prevent the owner from accessing the Apple device after spying on the victim’s passcode before taking the gadget.
Victims have reported having their phones taken from their hands, from bars, or from other public locations after discovering that their accounts had been locked.
Thieves Target Apple Accounts
With the right passcode, malicious parties can quickly change the victim’s Apple ID password in the Settings app. They have the ability to deactivate ‘Find My iPhone,’ stopping the owner from tracking it or remotely erasing it, as well as deleting other devices from the account.
One time, a burglar used photographs of the phone owner to locate the last four digits of their Social Security number and use that information to open an Apple Card. Another claimed to have permanently lost family photo albums. Most of the victims made police reports, and one complained to the Federal Trade Commission about identity theft.
The iPhone is the most secure consumer mobile device, according to an Apple spokeswoman, who also claimed that the company works “tirelessly” to thwart new and emerging threats.
On nights out, when people’s defenses have been lowered by drink, the attack typically targets individuals. The majority of the time, thieves simply observe people inputting their passcodes (sometimes video to be sure) and then steal the phone when the victim isn’t looking.
According to Sergeant Robert Illetschko, lead investigator on a case in Minnesota where a criminal organization used this method to steal nearly $300,000, “it’s simply as simple as watching this person repeatedly input their passcode into the phone.” There are several methods to persuade someone to enter the code.
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How To Protect Your iPhone From Scam?
The newspaper claims that in some cases, the crooks will initially make friends with the victim in order to get them to access a social media app. The criminal may ask to borrow the phone to snap a photo if the user has Face ID or Touch ID, and then covertly restart it before handing it back because a just rebooted phone requires the passcode to be input.
The first thing to keep in mind is that you’re safer if you only use Face ID or Touch ID in public. This is because biometric logins are insufficient for the Apple ID password reset, which requires the passcode.
If you do find yourself typing in a passcode in front of others, cover your screen since you never know who might be taking notes on the numbers. Of course, this won’t help you much if someone demands your passcode and iPhone from you while brandishing a knife or gun, as has been reported in several areas.
But if you create an Apple ID recovery key in this situation, the harm will be considerably reduced. This means that thieves will need a 28-character code in order to reset your password instead of the stolen passcode.
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