Beware of iPhone Giveaway Scams on Facebook

alertApple unveiled details of its long-awaited new iPhone models this week, announcing the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C. While the impending September 20 release date for the phones has been a cause for celebration online, social media users should beware of fake offers for new iPhones cropping up on Facebook. In fact, as Trend Micro reports, these spam messages have already been appearing in users’ inboxes.

The emails attempt to look like an Apple Store notification email and tells users that they’ve “won” the iPhone 5S plus an iPad. A link in the email then takes users to another website, where they’re asked to input their email address and password. So far, the scam has spread across southeastern Asia, though as the buzz around the new phones increases as the release date draws nearer, Facebook users around the world can expect to see more of these same kinds of scams.

The most effective scam emails are the ones that prey on people’s curiosity and current events. With the big iPhone news, cyber criminals doubtlessly saw a great opportunity to take advantage of people’s excitement. However, as is always the case with these emails, red flags are abundant. Upon even a cursory inspection, it becomes apparent that the email did not originate from Apple, and the third-party website the link takes you to is also not affiliated with the company. Another good rule of thumb for malware emails: if it’s promising something that’s too good to be true, it absolutely is.