{"id":224339,"date":"2025-12-05T09:26:51","date_gmt":"2025-12-05T17:26:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/?p=224339"},"modified":"2025-12-10T10:24:36","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T18:24:36","slug":"this-week-in-scams-phony-ai-ads-apple-account-takeover-attempts-and-a-playstation-scam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/this-week-in-scams-phony-ai-ads-apple-account-takeover-attempts-and-a-playstation-scam\/","title":{"rendered":"This Week in Scams: Phony AI Ads, Apple Account Takeover Attempts, and a PlayStation Scam"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>For this week in scams, we have fake AI-generated shopping images that could spoil your holidays, scammers use an Apple Support ticket in a takeover attempt, and a PlayStation scam partly powered by AI.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s start with those fake ads, because holiday shopping is in full swing.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Keep a sharp eye out for fake AI shopping ads that sell knockoff goods<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Turns out that <strong>three-quarters of people (74%) can\u2019t correctly identify a fake AI-generated social media ad <\/strong>featuring popular holiday gifts\u2014which could leave them open to online shopping scams.<\/p>\n<p>That finding, and several others, comes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.santander.co.uk\/about-santander\/media-centre\/press-releases\/all-ai-want-for-christmas-santander-creates-fake-ai\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">by way of research from Santander<\/a>, a financial services company in the UK.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s a quick rundown of what else they found:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Less than one in 10 (8%) people feel \u201cvery confident\u201d in their ability to spot an AI-generated ad on social media.<\/li>\n<li>More than half (56%) fear that they or a family member could get scammed as a result.<\/li>\n<li>About two-thirds (63%) said that they won\u2019t purchase anything from social media platforms because they\u2019re not sure what\u2019s real and what\u2019s fake.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>From the study \u2026 could you tell these ads are both fake?<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_224358\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-224358\" style=\"width: 568px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"longdesc-return-224358\" class=\"wp-image-224358 size-full\" tabindex=\"-1\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Ai-Ad-1.png\" alt=\"Fake ads, like this, have been popping up across social.\" width=\"568\" height=\"1188\" longdesc=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs?longdesc=224358&amp;referrer=224339\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Ai-Ad-1.png 568w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Ai-Ad-1-143x300.png 143w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Ai-Ad-1-490x1024.png 490w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Ai-Ad-1-62x129.png 62w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 568px) 100vw, 568px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-224358\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fake ads, like this, have been popping up across social.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_224373\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-224373\" style=\"width: 491px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wpa-warning wpa-image-missing-alt wp-image-224373 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AI-Ad-2-491x1024.png\" alt=\"Could you tell this ad is fake? \" width=\"491\" height=\"1024\" data-warning=\"Missing alt text\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AI-Ad-2-491x1024.png 491w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AI-Ad-2-144x300.png 144w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AI-Ad-2-62x129.png 62w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AI-Ad-2.png 568w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 491px) 100vw, 491px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-224373\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Could you tell this ad is fake?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>In all, cheap and readily available AI tools make spinning up fake ads quick and easy work.<\/strong> The same goes for launching websites where those \u201cgoods\u201d can get sold. In the past, we\u2019ve seen scammers take two different approaches when they use social media ads and websites to lure in their victims:<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Phishing sites<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>During the holidays, scammers pump out ads that offer seemingly outstanding deals on hot items. Of course, the offer and the site where it\u2019s \u201csold\u201d is fake. Victims hand over their personal info and credit card number, never to see the items they thought they\u2019d purchased. On top of the money a victim loses, the scammer also has their card info and can run up its tab or sell it to others on the dark web.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Knock-off sites<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>In this case, the scammer indeed sells and delivers something. But you don\u2019t get what you paid for. The item looks, feels, fits, or works entirely differently than what was advertised. In this way, people wind up with a cheaply made item cobbled together with inferior materials. Worse yet, these scams potentially prop up sweatshops, child labor, and other illegal operations in the process. Nothing about these sites and the things they sell on them are genuine.<\/p>\n<p><strong>So, fake AI shopping ads are out there. What should you look out for? Here\u2019s a quick list:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>First off, any offer that sounds too good to be true and heavy discounts on hard-to-find or popular items are major signs of a scam\u2014and have been for years running now.<\/li>\n<li>See if the image looks a little too polished or even cartoony in some cases. As for people in AI ads, they can look airbrushed and have skin tones that seemingly give off an odd glow.<\/li>\n<li>Look up reviews of the company. Trustpilot and the Better Business Bureau offer great resources for that. Even simple a search using \u201c<em>CompanyName <\/em>scam\u201d can give you an idea if it\u2019s a scam or not.<\/li>\n<li>And lastly, the combination of our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/en-us\/scam-detector\/\"><strong>Scam Detector<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/learn\/web-protection?path=blogs\"><strong>Web Protection<\/strong><\/a> can help sniff out a scam for you.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>The Apple Support scam that came from \u2026 Apple? (Not really. We\u2019ll explain.)<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\u201cI almost lost everything\u2014my photos, my email, my entire digital life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So opens a recent Medium post from Eric Moret recounting how <a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/@eric.moret\/i-almost-lost-my-apple-account-to-the-most-sophisticated-phishing-attack-ive-ever-seen-cff92a470950\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">he almost handed over his Apple Account to a scammer armed with a real Apple Support ticket<\/a> to make this elaborate phishing attack look legit.<\/p>\n<p>Over the course of nearly 30 minutes, a scammer calmly and professionally walked Moret through a phony account takeover attempt.<\/p>\n<p>It started with two-factor authentication notifications that claimed someone was trying to access his iCloud account. Three minutes later, he got a call from an Atlanta-based number. The caller said they were with Apple Support. <em>&#8220;Your account is under attack. We\u2019re opening a ticket to help you. Someone will contact you shortly.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Seconds later came another call from the same number, which is where the scam fully kicked in. The person also said they were from Apple Support and that they\u2019d opened a case on Moret\u2019s behalf. Sure enough, when directed, Moret opened his email and saw a legitimate case number from a legitimate Apple address.<\/p>\n<p>The caller then told him to reset his password, which he did. Moret received a text with a link to a site where he could, apparently, close his case.<\/p>\n<p>Note that at no time did the scammers ask him for his two-factor authentication code throughout this process, which is always the sign of a scam. However, the scammers had another way to get it.<\/p>\n<p>The link took him to a site called \u201cappeal-apple dot com,\u201d which was in fact a scam site. However, the page looked official to him, and he entered a six-digit code \u201cconfirmation code\u201d sent by text to finish the process.<\/p>\n<p>That \u201cconfirmation code\u201d was actually a fresh two-factor authentication code. With that finally in hand, the scammers signed in. Moret received a notice that a new device had logged into his account. Moret quickly reset his password again, which kicked them out and stopped the attack.<\/p>\n<h3>So, what went wrong here? Let\u2019s break down three key moments in this account takeover scam:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The unsolicited phone calls.<\/strong> That\u2019s an immediate sign to hang up and call an official support number to confirm the \u201cissue\u201d yourself.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The fake website.<\/strong> A site with a URL like \u201cappeal-apple dot com\u201d is a scam site, even if it looks \u201cofficial.\u201d Scammers can create them easily today.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The code heist.<\/strong> Scammers trick people into handing over their authorization code by calling it something else, like a \u201cconfirmation code.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>So, <strong>how can you protect yourself from account takeover scams?<\/strong> Let\u2019s break that down too.<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Know that Apple Support won\u2019t call you or open a case on your behalf.<\/li>\n<li>Also know that anyone can create an Apple Support ticket for anyone else, without verification. If you didn\u2019t create it yourself, it\u2019s a strong sign of a scam.<\/li>\n<li>If you have concerns, call Apple yourself at 1-800-275-2273 or contact them through their Apple Support App, <a href=\"https:\/\/support.apple.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">available here on Apple\u2019s support page<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Only interact with Apple through sites and emails with the proper \u201capple dot com\u201d address. Watch out for altered addresses like the \u201cappeal-apple dot com\u201d used here.<\/li>\n<li>Never, ever share your authentication code in any way \u2026 verbally, in an email, in a text, or a website. Any request for it from anyone is a scam.<\/li>\n<li>You can see the devices signed into your account any time. Go to\u00a0<strong>Settings<\/strong>, tap your\u00a0<strong>Name<\/strong>, and scroll to see all devices\u00a0<strong>linked to your Apple ID<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Get protection that blocks links to scam sites, like our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/en-us\/scam-detector\/\"><strong>Scam Detector<\/strong><\/a>and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/learn\/web-protection?path=blogs\"><strong>Web Protection<\/strong><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>The FCC takes aim at the Wal-Mart PlayStation 5 Robocall Scam<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Maybe you didn\u2019t get a scam call from \u201cEmma\u201d or \u201cCarl\u201d at Wal-Mart, but plenty of people did. Around eight million in all. Now the Federal Communications Commission\u2019s (FCC) Enforcement Bureau wants to put a stop to them.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.fcc.gov\/public\/attachments\/DOC-415674A1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201cEmma\u201d and \u201cCarl\u201d are in fact a couple of AI voices fronting a scam framed around the bogus purchase of a PlayStation<\/a>. It\u2019s garnered its share of complaints, so much that the FCC has stepped in. It alleges that SK Teleco, a voice service provider, provisioned at least some of these calls, and that it must immediately stop.<\/p>\n<p>According to the FCC, the call plays out like this:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;A preauthorized purchase of PlayStation 5 special edition with Pulse 3D headset is being ordered from your Walmart account for an amount of 919 dollars 45 cents. To cancel your order or to connect with one of our customer support representatives, please press \u20181.\u2019 Thank you.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Pressing \u201c1\u201d connects you to a live operator who asks for personal identifiable such as Social Security numbers to cancel the \u201cpurchase.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If you were wondering, <strong>it\u2019s unlawful to place calls to cellphones containing artificial or prerecorded voice messages absent an emergency purpose or prior express consent<\/strong>. According to the FCC\u2019s press release, SK Teleco didn\u2019t respond to a request to investigate the calls. The FCC further alleges that it\u2019s unlikely the company has any such consent.<\/p>\n<p>Per the FCC, \u201cIf SK Teleco fails to take swift action to prevent scam calls, the FCC will require all other providers to no longer accept call traffic from SK Teleco.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ll see how this plays out, yet it\u2019s a good reminder to report scam calls. When it comes to any kind of scam, law enforcement and federal agencies act on complaints.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Get a scam call? Who\u2019s here you can report it to:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The Federal Trade Commission (FTC):\u00a0Report fraud, especially if you lost money, at <a href=\"ReportFraud.ftc.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ReportFraud.ftc.gov<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>The Federal Communications Commission (FCC):\u00a0Report unwanted calls, texts, and\u00a0caller ID spoofing\u00a0at <a href=\"DoNotCall.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">DoNotCall.gov<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Your State Attorney General: You can find yours through <a href=\"https:\/\/www.naag.org\/find-my-ag\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.naag.org\/find-my-ag\/<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>And we close things out a quick roundup \u2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Here\u2019s a quick list of a few stories that caught our eye this week:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.alexandriava.gov\/sheriff\/sheriffs-office-warns-of-fraudsters-impersonating-law-enforcement-in-phone-scam\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Scammers pose as law enforcement, threaten jail time if you don\u2019t pay<\/a> (with audio)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/nation\/2025\/11\/30\/deep-fake-whirlool-brazil\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Deepfake of North Carolina lawmaker used in award-winning Brazilian Whirlpool video<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2025\/11\/29\/australia\/australia-social-media-ban-intl-hnk-dst\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">What happens when you kick millions of teens off social media? Australia\u2019s about to find out<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>We\u2019ll see you next Friday with more updates, scam news, and ways you can stay safer out there. <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For this week in scams, we have fake AI-generated shopping images that could spoil your holidays, scammers use an Apple&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":674,"featured_media":191749,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10667,10661,13,1838],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3973],"class_list":["post-224339","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-security-news","category-internet-security","category-privacy-identity-protection","category-mobile-security"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>This 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