SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — We have a big warning Thursday night for iPhone and iPad users.
There is a tricky new scam that is targeting idevices. It is a virus that shows up as a notification and then freezes the device. From there, it gets a lot worse.
Tech reporter Gabe Slate met with a women who encountered the scam, and she wanted to share her experience so others don’t fall for it.
“I was on my phone on the Internet and then this message popped up that said, ‘Warning. There is a third party that has hacked into your phone,'” iPhone user Iveta Mertinak said.
Once it popped up, it would not go away, and it froze the Internet on her phone. And she could not access the web through safari on her device.
So, not sure what to do, she called the number on the notification, and they told her she needed virus protection and it would cost $100.
If you are infected by this virus, here’s what to do, courtesy of Malwarebytes:
- Put your iPhone or iPad in “Airplane Mode”
- Clear Safari’s history (Settings->Safari->Clear History and Website Data)
- Re-Open Safari and exit Airplane Mode