Protect yourself with the help of your Mac and iPhone

Written by Nick Peers

Image credits: Apple Inc, Antishock

Everywhere you turn, it seems like someone is out to scam you. E ads promoting deals too good to be true, dodgy web links lurking in prominent paid-for search engine slots – even people at the end of the phone trying to trick you into thinking your Mac is infested with malware. Since 2010, the amount of money lost to fraud has ballooned, with one reporting estimating UK individuals may have lost nearly £9 billion to scammers in 2023 alone. Online

Thanks to a growing number of online security breaches, hackers have gained access to millions of people’s personal information and are using it in increasingly sophisticated scams. But the good news is that there’s plenty you can do to fight back, and that’s where we come in. In this feature we’ll start by identifying some of the most common scams currently circulating and what you can do in each case to avoid becoming a victim.

We’ll also show you how to find out if your data has been stolen (and what to do about it), before examining how to tighten security across all your Apple devices. You’ll discover how to lock down your iCloud account, install antivirus software, and explore additional tools to protect you against fraudulent emails and unsafe websites.

Whether you’re looking for the best way to protect your online accounts from being compromised, looking for a safe way to connect to public Wi-Fi networks or wondering how you can lock down your iPhone or iPad, so your data remains locked away whatever happens to it, you’ll find the answers here. Would-be scammers won’t know what hit them…

Scams – the state of play

Find out what types of scams currently plague users worldwide

Spot the scams

T here was a time when you could rely almost exclusively on your Apple devices to keep you safe and secure. If you needed extra protection, then antivirus software sealed the deal. But bad actors have found ways to bypass such security measures by targeting the weakest point in any system: us.

Hackers and scammers have realised they can trick people into giving up personal details or even handing control of their devices to a third party. What started out as simple ‘phishing’, an attempt to steal people’s personal information through random fake emails, has evolved into more personally targeted and sophisticated scams that stretch across all channels.

Many of these personalised attacks use data obtained from large-scale breaches (see opposite). Read on to find out what kinds of scams you should be aware of, how to protect yourself against them and how to find out if your passwords and other personal information have already been compromised.

Online advertising scams

B eware ads from… well, just about anywhere. Scam ads are nothing new, but they’re becoming ever more devious. Take online video ads, for example. AI technology has led to video ‘deepfakes’, where realistic facsimiles of celebrities appear to endorse the product or service being peddled. How do you avoid being scammed? First, be extra cautious responding to ads on social media as well as promoted results at the top of search engine web pages. Do your research: look for independent reviews, and check the website is the real deal and not some copy sporting a similar (but not identical) web address to any official site. Oh, and if an offer appears too good to be true, then it almost certainly is. Steer clear.