“Your iPhone Has Been Hacked” pop-up scam refers to a fake virus alert that can pop up on your iPhone screen when you’re browsing high-risk websites. The alert claims that your device has been hacked by a hacker who is now tracking what you do. It’s a fake alert and can be ignored.
These fake alerts are very common scams, usually encountered on questionable websites to which users get redirected. The alerts claim that users’ devices have been infected with something in order to trick them into performing some kind of action. Fake virus alerts may ask that users download certain apps/files, or try to trick them into calling fake tech-support numbers.
The contents of these fake virus alerts may differ but there is one thing they all have in common, the fact that they’re all fake. This pop-up claims that your iPhone has been hacked and that a hacker is tracking all of your actions. It’s supposed to resemble a legitimate alert from Apple but because it appears in a browser, it’s very clearly a scam. And Apple does not show such pop-ups in any case. If you interact with the pop-up, you may be asked to reveal your Apple ID credentials or other personal information.
You could also be prompted to contact supposed Apple technical support. Some fake virus alerts claim that to remove the supposed infections, you need to call the shown phone number to get assistance. If you were to call, you would be connected to professional scammers pretending to work for Apple. Scammers use various tactics to alarm users and make them believe their devices/data are in serious danger. Depending on the scam, you may be asked to download an app that would allow them to remotely access your device so they can supposedly remove the infection. If you do as they ask, scammers will have access to the data on your device. They may steal personal information, change settings, etc. Once they’re done going through their script, the scammers will ask that you pay a certain sum of money for the tech support services you supposedly received. Payments are usually requested in Apple gift cards so they cannot be tracked or reversed once users realize they’re dealing with a scam. Since you did not receive any services nor needed them in the first place, paying would be a complete waste of money.
These fake virus alerts and similar scams are incredibly common. If you have seen one, you have seen them all. For future reference, keep in mind that your browser will never display legitimate virus alerts. You can ignore all of the pop-ups claiming your device has a virus and needs immediate attention.
Your iPhone Has Been Hacked
All your actions on the device are tracked by a hacker.
Immediate Action Is Required!
Close
If you encounter this or similar pop-ups, you can simply close the tab. This applies not only to iPhones but computers and tablets as well. Legitimate virus alerts will never appear on the browser. On a computer, only an anti-virus program will show correct information about infections.
Why are you seeing the “Your iPhone Has Been Hacked” pop-up scam?
The pop-up usually pops up when users browse high-risk sites that spam ads and trigger redirects. Sites that have pornographic or pirated content are particularly guilty of this as clicking on anything on them will trigger a redirect. If the device does not have a good adblocker installed, the pop-ups and redirects will appear constantly.
How to remove “Your iPhone Has Been Hacked” pop-up scam from your screen
If we had not made it clear yet, your iPhone is not infected with malware or anything else. Thus, you can just close the tab. If you engaged with the pop-up, you may need to perform additional actions. If you were asked to download something, delete it immediately. If the pop-up displayed a phone number and you called it, depending on what the scammers asked you to do, you may need to change your passwords. If you were asked to reveal your Apple ID password, for example, you need to change it immediately. You also need to enable two-factor authentication for additional protection. If you provided your payment/credit card details, we recommend contacting your bank to cancel the card and prevent unauthorized transactions. And if you were asked to download an app for remote device access, delete it at once.
Lastly, it’s recommended to change your Safari settings to prevent such pop-ups in the future. On your iPhone, open Settings, click Safari, and enable “Block Pop-ups” and “Fraudulent Website Warning”. It’s also a good idea to clean your website data. In Safari settings, click Advanced, then Website Data, and press Remove All Website Data. This should remove any traces of the pop-up.
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The article is only meant to be used for educational purposes. If you follow the instructions given in the article, you agree to be contracted by the disclaimer. We do not guarantee that the artcile will present you with a solution that removes the malign threats completely. Malware changes constantly, which is why, in some cases, it may be difficult to clean the computer fully by using only the manual removal instructions.