Palos Park Resident Targeted In 'Apple Pay Scam' Attempt

PALOS PARK, IL — An older resident was left shaken by an attempt to shake her down after receiving a fake Apple Support popup that her computer had been compromised, Palos Park police said.

Around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, the woman received the popup message claiming it was hacked and urging her to call “Apple Support.”

She was directed over the phone by a man named Jasper, to buy numerous gift cards and read the codes over the phone. Jasper also told her to withdraw cash and turn it over to a courier who would come to her home to collect it.

The woman was told that her computer had been hacked and used for money laundering, child pornography and illegal gambling.

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Police said the man named Jasper remained on the phone with the woman as she drove to Old National Bank in Palos Heights. Jasper instructed the woman to withdraw $7,000, and to tell the bank teller that she needed cash for construction on her home.

While sitting in the bank parking lot, police said the woman began looking at posts other people had made about receiving popups from Apple Pay, she realized it was a scam.

“She gave them her personal information, but she did not send money,” said Chief Joe Miller, of the Palos Park Police Department. “When she told this guy from Apple Pay that she was going to police, he referred her to ‘Mr. Friedman,’ from the Federal Trade Commission.”

Officers went to check the woman’s house, who was concerned about a courier showing up.

“She was really upset,” the chief said. “This was the first time something like this happened to her.”

The “Apple Pay Pre-Authorization” text message scam targets Apple device owners by sending an unsolicited text that looks like it comes from Apple, warning about a fraudulent purchase or unusual login activity. The text will urge people to call a phone number in ending in “2186” and posing as Apple support to supposedly cancel the charge or secure your account.

“Don’t ever answer or call these fake texts, call phone numbers about anything that’s saying you owe money on your Apple device," Miller said. “Don't engage them.”