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iPhone hacked message!!

S

Steven SANH

macrumors regular
Original poster
Mar 27, 2023
173
42
Australia
I was using "SaveFrom.net" in Safari to download a file. Then I got this message...

Hack_msg.jpg



I closed Safari and cleared the History Cache. Then I turned my phone off for a few minutes and restarted it. I enabled "Private Relay" in settings and also used the Private Tab in Safari.

Everything seems to be in order. Was the message a fake scam? (as I've never got anything like this before).
 
Yes, this was a fake scam pop up ad. Nothing is wrong with your phone; no one is hacking you. What you did was overkill even; you just needed to close that tab.
 
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Fake, and some tips for people want to spot fraud:

"Apple security": Apple always capitalizes major words in titles.
"ALL OF YOUR CONTACTS!": Apple would never write in all caps and use exclamation mark to warn the user.
The domain/website name: well it's not even trying to pretend to be Apple.
 
Thanks everyone for your reassurance :)

Just wondering though, is it best to use Private Relay, or just to use Private Tab in Safari?
 
That’s not even a pop up. It looks like one but it’s clearly just a page.
 
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DarkPremiumCho said:
Fake, and some tips for people want to spot fraud:

"Apple security": Apple always capitalizes major words in titles.
"ALL OF YOUR CONTACTS!": Apple would never write in all caps and use exclamation mark to warn the user.
The domain/website name: well it's not even trying to pretend to be Apple.
Click to expand...
Another small, easily missed grammar detail is under Step 1.

The quote marks used for Protect Connection are wrong. The left quote mark is correct and a "curly" quote mark. But the right one is an inch mark.
 
spikeymike said:
Another small, easily missed grammar detail is under Step 1.

The quote marks used for Protect Connection are wrong. The left quote mark is correct and a "curly" quote mark. But the right one is an inch mark.
Click to expand...
And the steps shouldn’t end with semicolons either.

To OP, you aren’t going to prevent this with private relay or using private mode. This is just a pop up ad (in the sense that the site you were on caused this ad to open in a new tab). Private Relay doesn’t block ads (it obscures your browsing habits from service providers). Private tabs don’t block ads (they prevent your browsing history from being saved).

If you want to avoid these entirely, just don’t use “YouTube downloader”-type websites. These sites are made for piracy (or, at the very least, they easily facilitate piracy), so no legitimate advertisers are going to advertise on them. What you’ll get instead are these shady advertisements, like you have seen.

But really, this is totally innocuous. An ad isn’t going to infect your phone or hack you or anything like that. This can just be dismissed.
 
ReliableSource said:
An ad isn’t going to infect your phone or hack you or anything like that. This can just be dismissed
Click to expand...

Very true-
But if a person believed the warning and downloaded the app that was recommended- then the phone likely would get hacked through that app.
 
now i see it said:
Very true-
But if a person believed the warning and downloaded the app that was recommended- then the phone likely would get hacked through that app.
Click to expand...
Would it though? How much damage can an App Store app really do? It might be a scam that requests as many permissions as possible and it might try to get your credit card or banking info, but it’s not going to “hack” your phone.
 
ReliableSource said:
To OP, you aren’t going to prevent this with private relay or using private mode. This is just a pop up ad (in the sense that the site you were on caused this ad to open in a new tab). Private Relay doesn’t block ads (it obscures your browsing habits from service providers). Private tabs don’t block ads (they prevent your browsing history from being saved).
Click to expand...
Then is Private Relay not really needed to help protect from piracy/hacking?
 
Piracy is stealing content: downloading a movie for free, ripping a YouTube music video to MP3, etc. That’s something that you do, not something that is done to you.

Hacking is not really a concern with iPhones. Is it possible? Sure, but it’s something that is being done to specific targets of governments, not some guy who’s trying to download a YouTube video. Unless you’re a politician or a spy, you don’t need to worry about this; iPhones are plenty secure by default. No bad actors are going to get access to your phone and the information on it without your permission or knowledge.

The things you should be concerned about are scams and privacy. And clearly you already are because you made this thread. Don’t give your info to people you don’t trust, be wary of attempts to get your passwords, etc.

Private Relay is good and you should turn it on, but not because it will protect you from scams or hacking, but because it will prevent companies from gathering data on you.
 
Moderator note: this post and the ones that follow were merged from a duplicate thread on the same topic
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Img_Virus.jpg



I had Private Relay ON and I'm using Private Tabs in Safari. I was having a look at "SaveFromNet" site and the above message came up (screenshot). So I closed the Tab, then rebooted the iPhone. Is this just a scam message?

How does one know if their iPhone has malware or viruses? 🤔
 
Last edited by a moderator:
It’s a scam which uses sensational claims to invoke fear in the hopes that you will follow their steps or click a link. They even use the Google name and logo to make their lies appear legitimate. Simply close the tab, forget about it and go on with your life.. nothing to worry about.
 
Iwavvns said:
It’s a scam which uses sensational claims to invoke fear in the hopes that you will follow their steps or click a link. They even use the Google name and logo to make their lies appear legitimate. Simply close the tab, forget about it and go on with your life.. nothing to worry about.
Click to expand...
That's a relief. Thank you!
 
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