“Congratulations, you’ve won a free iPhone” … or something akin to the message that’s sure to make any penny pinching Apple fan tremble with excitement. All you have to do is click a link, just one link to get all the details about the iPhone you’ve won. But don’t do it! It’s the latest phishing scam intended to divert your browser to a website that will install malicious software on your computer.

The latest phishing scam was reported by Cnet. Although the news report gives very little specific info, like a copy of the actual message received by the users and what kind of vulnerability the malicious software is exploiting. It’s a fair warning but it’s only “news” because it involves the currently en vogue iPhone.

iPhone is a natural target for these kinds of scams just because of its current popularity. These phishing scams have nothing to do with Apple or iPhones – these are just the socially engineered parts of the scam to get your attention. But no matter what the offer, as the old idiom says; if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.  

Free iPod – Really?

But what legit offers like this one from TD Bank that offers a free iPod for switching your account. While this is no phishing scam, you can bet the iPods are not free. Most banks give special offers for switching to them. Exemption from fees for banking services for a duration of time (such as one year) is a typical offer. TD’s iPod offer comes in multiple flavors most of which require an initial $5000 deposit and will probably not include any “free” banking services.

What’s insidious marketing about TD Bank’s free iPod offer is it clearly targets the university age crowd. Banks and College kids … you know how that relationship usually ends – loads of debt. How many people do you know who struggle for years (often decades) to pay off loans incurred during post-secondary education years?