Ross Park Mall Apple Store Phone Number Being Used By Scammers
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ROSS TOWNSHIP (KDKA) --- The Better Business Bureau has issued a warning about a new twist on an old scam.
The BBB said people are receiving robocalls and emails claiming to be from Apple Support. The message states that an individual's iCloud account was hacked and it offers to fix the problem if the person allows the caller to remotely access their computer.
At least some of the phone calls claim to be from the Apple store at Ross Park Mall.
"Apple is aware that some customers are receiving unsolicited calls claiming to be from this Apple store," states an automated message that plays for people who call the Ross Park Mall Apple store. "If you receive an unsolicited call, you should not provide any information to the callers."
Michelle Gabriel says she received 23 calls from someone claiming to be from Apple support. The caller ID was from a local number.
"I Googled the number that they were calling with and it said this is Ross Park Apple Store, maybe it's something legit," Gabriel said.
When she spoke with the man, he claimed that her iCloud account was hacked and that he could fix it for her, but only if she gave him remote access to her computer.
The alarm bells started going off.
"I said, 'I feel like you're scamming me.' Which, I knew that he was," she said.
But, Gabriel played along to see where the scammer would go next. After instructing her to type in a web address, she started to call his bluff.
"'How is that directed to Apple?' And he said to me, 'You're being very belligerent. You don't want the help,'" she said.
Gabriel wasn't fooled, but said she can see how people would be.
The warning originated from a BBB office in Massachusetts. It's not known if the phone number for the Ross Park Mall Apple store is being used in that area, or if scammers are using other phone numbers in other parts of the country.
