Watch Out! Fake Fine Fraud Targets IPhone Users Via SMS

JAKARTA SMS-based scams are attacking iPhone users again across the United States. This latest mode targets users with fake messages as if they came from government agencies, such as the Tennessee Department of Vehicles', which claims the recipient has unpaid traffic fines.

The message threatened to take legal action, suspend SIM, and damage credit scores if not paid immediately before the fake deadline on June 8. The attached link leads to fake sites similar to government portals such as tn.gov-hjpp.life/pay.

More dangerous, this SMS asks users to reply with the letter "Y" so that the link can be clicked because the iPhone system prevents an active link from an unknown sender. If the victim retaliates, then the sender is considered "known" and the link becomes active.

Not only in Tennessee, similar reports also emerged from Texas, Virginia, to Pennsylvania. The name of the agency and the details of the message are adjusted to make it sound local and credible. Fraudsters use official terms such as the "North Tennessee State Administrative Code" to strengthen their false credibility.

However, there are clear signs of fraud, such as links with strange domains (for example life) and foreign sender numbers (+63, from the Philippines). The FBI recorded more than 2,000 reports in just a month of similar fraud.

Usually the nominal fines are not big just for a few dollars so the victim is tempted to pay directly without verification. However, once the credit card information is filled, the fraudster can abuse it for a bigger crime.

Massive SMS delivery is cheap and easy to do. Criminal syndicates, including those operating from China, use cheap SMS platforms and buy thousands of phone numbers to reach millions of people. Although only a small part was deceived, the profits were huge.

Apple has actually implemented a security feature by disabling the link from an unknown sender. However, the fraudster worked around it by instructing the victim to retaliate first so that the link becomes active.

Don't reply or click on any links from suspicious messages.

Block and report the sender via the "Report Junk" feature in the Messages application (specifically the iPhone).

Check directly to official sites like tn.gov if you feel there is a real possibility of a fine.

Report fraud to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) on iic3.gov.

Fraudsters rely on panic and fear. Take time to re-examine before acting to avoid their trap.