http://technology.inquirer.net/27165/cybercriminals-target-apple-ids-financial-credentials-in-phishing-scams

MANILA, Philippines â Cybercriminals are using fake Apple sites to try and trick users into submitting their Apple ID credentials, which would enable them to steal the usersâ account login and access their  personal data, information and credit card numbers stored on their iCloud and iTunes accounts, according to a report that analyzed the increase of cybercriminal campaigns designed to steal Apple IDs by creating fraudulent phishing sites that try to imitate the official apple.com site.

An average of 200,000 attempts per day by users trying to access the phishing sites were detected from January 2012 through May 2013, a marked increase from 2011, which averaged only 1,000 detections per day, according to Kaspersky Lab, provider of effective digital security solutions for large enterprises, SMBs and consumers.

Kaspersky Labâs web antivirus module detected and prevented its users from accessing the sites although the increase in detections showed how these scams were becoming more commonly used by cybercriminals for phishing campaigns.

The company analyzed the cybercriminalsâ behavior and patterns on a daily and monthly basis, noticing that fluctuations and increases in phishing attempts often coincided with large events from Apple.

For example, on Dec. 6, 2012, immediately following the opening of iTunes stores in India, Turkey, Russia, South Africa and an additional 52 countries, an all-time record of more than 900,000 phishing attempts directing to fake Apple sites were detected in a single day.

The main distribution method used by cybercriminals to direct users to the fraudulent Apple sites are predominantly phishing emails posing as Apple Support with fake alias names in the âSenderâ field, such as services@apple.com, according to the report.