Why you can't type in your iPhone password in public: WSJ reveals a new type of fraud

If you use a password to unlock your phone instead of Face ID or Touch ID, you may fall victim to fraud. This is especially true for those who protect their phone with a four-digit password.

That's according to an investigation by The Wall Street Journal. Journalists of the publication learned about a large number of cases registered by the police in New York, when the owners of smartphones lost all their data, as well as thousands of dollars because of the actions of fraudsters.

As the story goes, the victims of the scammers were people who used their phone in a public place and were alone at the time.

To commit the crime, the scammers did not conceal themselves and even got to know the victims by having the usual friendly conversations about the weather, life, and other things. While people thought they had found a new friend, the scammer made sure to notice what password his victim was typing on his smartphone.

When he managed to spot the four-digit password, he continued to communicate with the victim, biding his time to steal the phone discreetly.

But, as the WSJ writes, the main goal is not to steal the smartphone and sell it to a reseller, because then you don't even need to know the password. The thieves' plan is to clean out the victim completely.

With the phone in hand and the password to unlock it, the criminal can reset your Apple ID, so the "Where's My iPhone" feature simply won't work and won't allow you to track down the criminal with another device.

But before resetting your Apple ID, criminals will also try to steal your banking information associated with it.

People the journalists talked to said they lost access to all the data on their smartphone on the first day, and then received notifications from the bank that thousands of dollars had been withdrawn from their accounts.

The journalists of the publication claim that they were able, knowing the password to someone else's iPhone, to deprive the owner of access to it through the Apple ID in a matter of minutes. This happens due to the fact that the fraudster can set a new Apple ID login password, and the system won't even ask him for the old password as confirmation.

After that, the system will also prompt him to log out on all other devices where he was previously logged in. This way, the user will not be able to track his stolen phone through the locator or remotely erase data from it.

How to protect yourself from thieves

It's best to use Face ID or create a longer password to unlock your phone, which will be harder to recognize and remember during a peek.

Also, don't use your password too often in public places when someone might see you type it.

And in general, you should not enter any passwords in the presence of strangers, much less leave your gadget unattended.

Previously OBOZREVATEL on what password is the most reliable and will protect your gadget from hackers.

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