Scam Callers using this page

IdrisSeabright wrote:

We're all just users like you. This is site is not Apple Technical Support. It's a user-to-user forum.

The OP is referring to the "Related Article" feature at the top of the page, specifically, this Apple Support article: About the security content of iOS 8.4 - Apple Support

There are names mentioned in that document and similar ones. I assume they are doing this in case people do a quick Google search for the name of someone claiming to from Apple support. They will get results, with that name, from "support.apple.com".

It sounds like a pretty clever tactic. If someone is a scammer, the obviously aren't going to use their real name. So they are going to make up a name. Why not use names that are already featured prominently on Apple support "security update" pages? Kudos to the scammers. Well played.

markwusinich wrote:

However I figured you should know that scammers are using this page as part of their script.

We're all just users like you. This is site is not Apple Technical Support. It's a user-to-user forum.

IdrisSeabright wrote:

I was more responding to the "I figured you should know....." part of the post. There isn't really much we can do even though we now know.

Agreed. We know now, but we can only answer questions after the fact, and maybe explain things a bit, and maybe not.

Only Apple can do something to stop this. And Apple could stop it. They could hide those pages, or even just those names, from Google. It wouldn’t be very hard. But somehow I don’t see Apple doing anything I’m afraid.

IdrisSeabright wrote:

The scammers would just do something else even if Apple did.

I don’t doubt it. But I still think it is a good idea to question Apple’s involvement in this “security exploit” industry. It is nothing more than extortion. Apple has to either pay up, or publish someone’s name. Otherwise, they will release the exploit. Most exploits are harmless, but make for bad press.

People who report non-security bugs don’t get paid. They don’t get cited publicly. And the bugs they report don’t get fixed. We are all being held hostage. Every year, our devices are harder and harder to use with “security integrity protection” and “cryptographically sealed volumes”, and ever more buggy. And yet, the malware and the hacks never seem to go away, do they?

What is your question? I assume you are not responding to them as you recognize that it is a scam.

Scammers use all sorts of legitimate websites as "proof"; scamming is big business and there isn't much anyone can do about it since most of them are from foreign countries.

I was more responding to the "I figured you should know....." part of the post. There isn't really much we can do even though we now know.

But yes, a pretty clever tactic.

The scammers would just do something else even if Apple did.

I bow to your superior knowledge in this area. We are certainly way beyond mine! When you explain it, it certainly sounds like a broken system.