Apple ID scam targets people's financial information

A senior fraud specialist says he's familiar with a scam that Sudbury police are warning people about.

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre's Daniel Williams told CBC News it's a phishing scam to do with your Apple ID.

The North Bay based investigator said people receive an e-mail claiming to be from Apple Support that asks people to verify information online, or the account will be suspended.

The email then requests personal and financial information.

Anytime one is asked for that information online, it needs to be checked out, Williams said.

"We beg you, no matter how realistic it seems, how rational it might be, verify who it is who is contacting you," he said, adding that the "contact mechanism" provided in the email won't work.

Williams said the email looks real, and is very convincing.

"Everything can be counterfeited. With the whole computer technology, it's actually easier to make an identical copy than it is to create something afresh," he said.

"Everything the scammers are going to send you is going to look spot-on."

Williams said the scammer uses the information to rack up charges on a credit card and uses information to apply for cell phones and credit cards.

Any time people are asked for personal and financial information in an email, they need to verify the source another way, Williams reiterated.

For those who have already been scammed, he encourages them to call police.