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Original URL:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/08/13/phishers_attack_mac_faithful/
Apple faithful snared in phishing scam targeting Mac.com users
By Dan Goodin in San Francisco
Published Wednesday 13th August 2008 23:26 GMT
Hundreds of Mac users have been snared in a phishing scam that
coincided with the glitches in the roll-out Apple's MobileMe service.
Data obtained by CardCops, a credit card protection service owned by
the Affinion Group, shows sensitive information belonging to several
hundred people with Mac.com email addresses being traded in
underground forums frequented by identity thieves. The details include
social security numbers, birth dates, mothers' maiden names, credit
card numbers and other sensitive information.
The graphic to the right, which has been edited to remove personally
identifying details, shows some of the data that's been available.
The information was phished using emails that began circulating around
the same time Apple began its ill-fated transition (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07/16/mobileme_not_pushing/
) from Mac.com to Me.com. The scams bore subjects such as "Billing
problem." Following the link as recently as Tuesday while using
Apple's Safari browser, we were taken to an authentic-looking page
purporting to belong to Apple. It asked users to reinstate their
accounts by entering a dizzying array of personal details.
(Interestingly, while Internet Explorer warned us the page was a scam,
neither Safari nor Firefox flagged it.)
Among those who took the bait was someone in Desiree Holtadams's home.
She said the confusion caused by the MobileMe transition caused her to
lower her guard.
"I was wondering if they might have switched me over to MobileMe," she
told The Reg. "A few weeks ago, there was no access to the Apple
account at all for us."
An Apple representative didn't respond to an email requesting comment
for this story.
Several of the Mac.com victims we spoke to reported getting phishing
emails purporting to come from iTunes. Evidently, Apple users are a
popular target. ®
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Cheers!
G
From Bridgerule, Devon, England.
Devon, glorious Devon (first verse)
Combe and tor,
green meadow and lane,
birds on the waving bough.
Beetling cliffs by the surging main,
rich red loam for the plough.
Devon's the font of the finest blood
that braces England's breed.
Her maidens fair as the apple bud
and her men are men indeed.
