Apple's iMessage is now responsible for an alarming 30 percent of all mobile spam messages, according to security company Cloudmark. The messaging client became popular because it sidestepped the charges wireless carriers place on texts, plus it was available for your iPhone, iPad and desktops. However, it appears that spammers have figured out how to work the Cupertino company's system.
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Talking to WIRED, Tom Landesman of anti-spam crusaders Cloudmark claims that the deluge of spam is an extremely recent development--iMessage spam was unheard of just a year ago. Now, spammers have broken in, asking random users to take surveys or buy prodyc. Since these are Apple products we're talking about, many of the spam messages are touting luxury items.
A handful of spammers can blast messages to thousands of accounts pretty simply, because all you need to send an iMessage is an email account. With that, you can send messages to annoyed customers over several devices.
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"In 10 minutes, if you have a whole bunch of accounts, you'd be able to send a huge volume of messages," Landesman told WIRED, noting that he's come across emails registered to Microsoft's Hotmail and sites in China.
What are the scammers trying to get you to buy? Landesman says that they started late last year pushing a campaign for knock-off designer handbags, and now they seem to be peddling sunglasses.