CYBERSECURITY

New 'AnonyMous Phishing Campaign Uses AI to Trick iPhone Users Into Unlocking Stolen Devices

New 'AnonyMous Phishing Campaign Uses AI to Trick iPhone Users Into Unlocking Stolen Devices

How the Fake Support Calls Manipulate Victims

Security researchers at SOCRadar have identified a new phishing campaign called AnonyMous that targets i Phone users through automated fake Apple support calls. The campaign, uncovered on August 26, 2026, uses AI-generated voice messages to impersonate Apple technicians and trick victims into disabling security features on stolen i Phones. The scheme specifically exploits Apple’s Lost Mode by accessing contact information displayed on the lock screen to initiate fraudulent support interactions.

The AnonyMousKIT phishing kit automates the entire process, allowing criminals to generate convincing AI-driven calls that claim to help users recover their lost devices. Once a user engages with the fake support line, they are guided through steps to remotely unlock the i Phone, effectively bypassing Activation Lock and other anti-theft protections. This enables thieves to wipe and resell the devices without triggering Apple’s security alerts. The campaign relies on social engineering rather than technical exploits, preying on users’ trust in official Apple support channels.

What Makes This Campaign Particularly Dangerous

The scam begins when a stolen i Phone displays a message in Lost Mode with a phone number for the owner to contact. Criminals monitor these numbers and use the AnonyMousKIT to place automated calls that sound like legitimate Apple support. The AI voice claims there is an issue with the device’s security settings and urges the user to disable Lost Mode or share verification codes. Victims, believing they are speaking with Apple, follow instructions that ultimately remove the device from their i Cloud account. SOCRadar notes that the kit includes scripts tailored to different regions and languages to increase success rates. The use of AI voice synthesis makes the calls difficult to distinguish from real support interactions, especially for less tech-savvy users.

Unlike traditional phishing that relies on emails or SMS, this method hijacks a feature designed to help users recover lost devices, turning Apple’s own security tool against them. The automation lowers the barrier for criminals, allowing even those with minimal technical skills to run large-scale operations. By exploiting human psychology rather than software vulnerabilities, the campaign evades many standard detection systems that focus on malware or suspicious network activity. Researchers warn that as AI voice technology improves, such attacks could become more prevalent and harder to prevent without changes to how Lost Mode handles incoming calls.

How does the AnonyMous campaign trick users into unlocking their i Phones? The campaign uses AI-generated voice calls that mimic Apple support, telling users they need to disable Lost Mode or share codes to fix a security issue, which actually removes the device from their i Cloud account.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is this phishing method harder to detect than others? It exploits a legitimate Apple feature (Lost Mode contact) and uses voice-based social engineering instead of malicious links or files, bypassing typical email and malware defenses.

Can Apple users protect themselves from this type of attack? Users should never follow unlocking instructions from unsolicited calls, even if they appear to come from Apple, and should verify any support request through official Apple channels directly.

Content written by Marcus Reeves for tech-site.news editorial team, AI-assisted.

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