Russian Job Seekers Warned About New Scam

Russians currently looking for employment are being cautioned about a sophisticated new scam. According to Vitaly Titarenko, a mobile device security expert at Positive Technologies, malicious actors are impersonating potential employers to steal users` Apple IDs.

The IT specialist explained that fraudsters typically initiate contact with job seekers via Telegram, inviting them for a job interview. Following a brief discussion, candidates are informed that they have been hired. However, they are told that for the trial period, they must install a specific application designed to track working hours.

Next, the scammers persuade the victim to log out of their personal Apple ID, disable any password or biometric protection, and log in using a different account, which they claim belongs to the company. “Immediately after the victim logs in, the device is placed into Lost Mode using the Find My iPhone feature, and access to managing the Apple ID is blocked,” Titarenko explained. “The owner can no longer use their smartphone and receives a message demanding a ransom.”

The expert advises anyone who encounters this type of fraud not to pay the ransom. Instead, victims should contact an official Apple service center. They will need to provide evidence that their device was compromised by fraudsters. Apple staff can assist in unlinking the iPhone from the fraudulent Apple ID and performing a factory reset.

To avoid becoming a victim of this deception, Titarenko urges Russians never to log into someone else`s Apple ID on their device and never to log out of their own account at the request of strangers. Furthermore, the expert emphasized the importance of enabling the “Stolen Device Protection” feature on iPhones. “This feature requires biometric authentication and includes a 60-minute delay for changing critical settings if the device is not in a familiar location,” he clarified. Additionally, if purchasing a used iPhone, the specialist concluded that it is essential to perform a factory reset beforehand.

Earlier, Russians were warned about a different scam technique. Reports indicated that fraudsters were calling citizens` landline phones, posing as employees of the company Rostelecom, and attempting to extract personal information under the guise of needing to renew a service contract.