Your iPhone Or iPad May Suddenly Freeze And Demand $80 To Fix, But It’s Not What You Think [Photo]
Recent news reports have revealed that an overwhelming number of iPhones and iPads have been freezing. Needless to say, lots of Apple customers are not happy campers right now. Once a device has been contaminated, the device will display a system alert that reads, “‘Warning iOS Crash Report – Due to a third-party application in your phone, iOS crashed. Contact support for an immediate fix.”
The daunting alert also includes a phone number to a call center – “1-800-480-4170” for U.S. customers and “0800 279 6211” or “0800 652 4895” in the UK – that can fix the issue in a timely fashion. But, of course, the service comes with a price – $80.00 to be exact, reports New York Daily News. The alert informs customers that they must pay the $80.00 repair fee to fix their device or all of their personal data will be stolen from the phone.
Apple customers at risk from iPhone scam that has swept over from America http://t.co/acwqbuJvT8 pic.twitter.com/xj3lEO2OVv
— The Mirror (@DailyMirror) July 15, 2015
In most cases, many have jumped at the opportunity to fix the problem, but there’s a reason why you shouldn’t make a hasty decision. According to the Mirror Online, the system alert is part of a scam. It has been reported that con artists are manually freezing Apple products to scam people out of money with alleged “repair costs.” When the customer contacts the call center, they are connected to a “call center” and asked for a debit or credit card number to complete the payment transaction for the “service.” Once, they’ve received your credit card information, you’ve been duped.
iOS scam demands money to unfreeze browsers on iPhone, iPad http://t.co/9hbHwg4cB0
— Aileen Thorpe (@NYEmergencyPrep) July 15, 2015
But, luckily, there are a number of tech-savvy Apple users who have found a way to combat the daunting scam alert. Apparently, there is a way to bypass the alert by placing the phone in “Airplane” mode. After changing the phone to “Airplane” mode, several users have discovered that the alert can be removed by simply clearing the Safari Internet browser history. Once the browser is rebooted, the alert reportedly disappears. One customer recently recounted her experience with the alleged call center, but quickly realized she was being scammed reports Daily Mail.
“She stated that my iOS crashed and was no longer something on my iPhone 5S and that a third party was at that time taking all my info off my phone – nice ‘scare tactic’, eh?. She then said for $80, though, she could reinstall iOS and just needed my credit card number – yeah, okay. So, I said that was ridiculous as I had been using apps and my phone the whole time I was talking to her on speaker, and said I would call Apple Support directly. She told me they would say the same thing about having to pay to have iOS reinstalled on my phone. I said ‘I highly doubt it’ and told her I wouldn’t pay the money and that she was essentially full of c***. She then said – probably after realising I wasn’t buying any of it – ‘okay, ma’am’ and hung up on me.”
Apple has also offered suggestions to resolve the problem on its support page. This particular scam follows another iPhone crashing scam involving a text message. As previously reported on Inquisitr back in May, iPhone users were sending out a cruel text message with a distinct character sequence that would immediately shut off or crash iPhones when opened. So, beware of potential scams that could ultimately cost you money – or your phone.
[Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images]
