You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!

When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Notification from Apple Security

Does Apple Security sent notifications to iPhones?


My phone popped up with a message showing my iPhone Setting ICON, stating Read important notification regarding you iOS device. I clicked ok.


Took me to safari and the url: connect.wcsoft.link showing screen:

I downloaded Chamy VPN, which flashed 23 viruses, and a further list I did not catch. It’s running now on free trial. My question: is this bogus? If not, a VPN will not clean up my iPhone and restore it, right? What further clean up do I need to do?


thanks,

iPhone XR, 14

Posted on Feb 12, 2021 9:25 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Feb 12, 2021 9:42 PM

It’s fundamentally impossible for a remote website to scan your Mac or iPhone. That’d be a catastrophe. Were that possible, the scammers would simply upload everything. But since they can’t do that, they convince folks to install their products—variously the malware, the “anti-virus”, or the rest.


Add-on VPNs designed to allow your traffic to be concentrated and scanned.


Apple Security” doesn’t send those messages.


Calling telephone numbers can be faked too, as can sending email addresses.


What will happen with the data you just handed over, who knows? With various scams, I’d expect there will be attempts to phish them. But your contacts are probably now targeted for scams, if your contact database got uploaded.


Get rid of what you installed, get rid of the VPN, and ignore those messages.


Put differently, I’d consider this a serious security breach—how bad this is depends on what got installed. This whole sequence is very reminiscent of malware, if this is not actual malware.


Recognize and avoid phishing messages, phony support calls, and other scams - Apple Support


Effective defenses against malware and other threats


Similar questions

2 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Feb 12, 2021 9:42 PM in response to lynnfrompolson

It’s fundamentally impossible for a remote website to scan your Mac or iPhone. That’d be a catastrophe. Were that possible, the scammers would simply upload everything. But since they can’t do that, they convince folks to install their products—variously the malware, the “anti-virus”, or the rest.


Add-on VPNs designed to allow your traffic to be concentrated and scanned.


Apple Security” doesn’t send those messages.


Calling telephone numbers can be faked too, as can sending email addresses.


What will happen with the data you just handed over, who knows? With various scams, I’d expect there will be attempts to phish them. But your contacts are probably now targeted for scams, if your contact database got uploaded.


Get rid of what you installed, get rid of the VPN, and ignore those messages.


Put differently, I’d consider this a serious security breach—how bad this is depends on what got installed. This whole sequence is very reminiscent of malware, if this is not actual malware.


Recognize and avoid phishing messages, phony support calls, and other scams - Apple Support


Effective defenses against malware and other threats


Notification from Apple Security

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.