When you access a streaming site a pop up opens inviting users to answer a survey: at the end you will activate a paid subscription
The iPhone X is one of the most desired smartphones of the moment and as it often happens in these cases cyber crooks try to set up traps to steal money and personal data from users. That’s exactly what’s happening on the Firefox browser, where hackers have pulled off a scam using the iPhone X and exploiting the pop-ups that automatically open when accessing video streaming sites.
This isn’t the first time scammers have targeted these platforms. These are websites that are very popular with users (and in most cases are also illegal) and all it takes is a bit of carelessness to get duped. The malicious ones aim at inexperienced users who click on any link with the magic word “Free”. In order to recognize the scam it would be enough to pay attention to the punctuation and to all the “purchase” conditions. Above all, be wary of anyone who gives you a device that has a market value of more than €1159 by simply answering an online survey.
How the iPhone X scam works
The trap set by the hackers is very simple, but at the same time difficult to discover. The scam starts when a user, using the Firefox browser, accesses video streaming sites. As soon as he enters the website, a page will be shown where the user is invited to answer a survey where he will have a chance to win an iPhone X. Once we answer the four questions we will have to choose between three different devices: the iPhone X, iPad Air 2 and a MacBook Air. These are three devices with a price over a thousand euros and already this should be enough to make you understand that this is a scam. If you decide to continue, the next step forces the user to enter their phone number. This is where the scam is triggered: instead of receiving a PIN on their smartphone that allows them to win one of three devices, the user will end up with a subscription service activated on their smartphone. And with the money taken from the credit of the phone card.
How to defend yourself from the iPhone X scam
There are a couple of in clues that allow you to understand that this is a scam. First, the survey text is written in sloppy Italian, with many grammar and syntax errors. Moreover, we will be repetitive, but nobody gives anything for free, especially when it comes to devices with a price over a thousand euros.
If you are also one of the victims of the scam and you have been deducted the money of the weekly subscription you can call the customer service of your phone operator and get your money back, as well as block the paid service.