Users have been finding a fake receipt in their email inbox for some time now.

This is an “automatic payment” for “Apple Pay Vunkee Apps LLC” with an amount of 129.99 euros.

The email looks like this:

Screenshot by mimikama.org
Screenshot by mimikama.org

Your payment was accepted on October 27, 2018 and confirmed that you cannot cancel this purchase if you make this integrated purchase within 48 hours of purchase.

If you are not the origin of this purchase, contact Apple Support.

“But I didn’t buy that!?” Many users think that and try to contact Apple Support as suggested in the email.

But be careful!

This is a phishing attempt! When we tried to follow the link, our antivirus immediately sounded the alarm:

Screenshot by mimikama.org
Screenshot by mimikama.org

The email tries to lead users into a phishing trap in order to then gain possession of their victims' personal data.

Result:

If you receive this email, it can easily go into the trash!

I have become a victim – what can I do?

Even with all the caution you can still fall into a trap. Once the password has been given to the fraudsters, you can still prevent something worse from happening:

  1. Contact the company for which your personal user or login information was stolen immediately. Please call customer service to have your account blocked. Banks in particular have a blocking hotline that can be reached around the clock and is available specifically for such and similar cases. Describe your case and your account or user area will no longer be accessible with the old login data.
  2. Log in to your user account and check whether you can still log in. If this is still possible, go immediately to the area where you can change your current login details. Set a new password and, if possible, also change the user name and contact address.
  3. Check immediately whether account changes or transactions have already been made , as criminals are usually very quick. Check whether, for example, goods have been purchased or debits have been made for which you are not responsible. If this is the case, inform the customer service of the respective provider immediately.
  4. Document all abnormalities . Take screenshots, print out bank statements and the phishing email, or forward the email to the company in whose name the cybercriminals sent the phishing email.
  5. Contact a lawyer who specializes in internet fraud , describe your case and submit all documents related to the fraud. You should contact the lawyer even if you have not yet reported any damage.
  6. 2 -factor authentication (if offered) prevents access even if fraudsters have obtained the access data through phishing.

By the way, there is also hope in phishing that stolen funds, for example from online banking, will be replaced by banks. The basis for this is the Civil Code. According to § 675u BGB, payment service providers are obliged to replace the stolen payment amounts in the event of unauthorized payment transactions. However, this only applies if the person concerned has fulfilled their duty of care. Further information on the legal basis in the event of damage can be found here .


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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )