Tag Archives: apps

Apple ID Scam

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Yet another scam for people dumb enough to click before they check.

Got this email today from “App Service”:

App Service Scam Email
Point to the link to see where it goes BEFORE you click it. In this case, the link does not go to Apple’s website or anything related to Apple.

Pointing to the link makes it pretty obvious that this is a scam. The bubble that pops up does not show a URL shown in the link, or to any other destination on Apple’s website. Clicking this link will likely install malware on your computer or direct you to a site that looks like Apple but is designed to gather your Apple login information, thus gaining access to your credit card, email, and other data you want to keep private.

Don’t click links in email messages unless you are expecting to receive a link.

Check out the text of the message when it’s copied and pasted! You can see a mix of alphanumeric codes and what looks like Chinese charaters embedded in the text.

Dear REDACTED@mac.com,

The following changes to your A96p17p23l98e11 28I98D86 were made on November 6, 2018

B40i40l55l54i52n87g56 Information

If you did not make these changes, or if you believe an unauthorized person has accessed your account, you should change your password as soon as possible from your Apple ID account page at manage.iforgot.service.com
Your Apple ID will be temporarely disabled until you verify your identitiy.
We will wait 24 hours for the verification, if we not receive any verification your Apple ID will be permanently disabled !
吃生薑
Sincerely,

Apple Support

What do you do if you think a message like this might be real? Close the message, go to your browser, and manually type in the URL to go to the site in question. Log in from that screen.

You Can’t Get There from Here

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Another Apple Maps fail.

I’m planning a trip to Pullman, WA next Thursday to attend a beekeeping seminar. I got the street address of the college campus building I need to go to in an email message. Under OS X Mavericks, I can point to the address to display a map of its location, like this:

Address in Email

I clicked the Open in Maps link to open the location in the Maps application that comes with Mavericks. Then, because I was curious about how long it would take to make the drive, I clicked the Directions button in Maps. I filled in my current location in the Start box and Maps recognized it as my current location. Then I clicked Directions.

Here’s the result:

Maps Fail

If you can’t read the note on the right, here’s what it says:

Directions Not Available
Directions cannot be found between these locations.

Of course, when I went to Google Maps and plugged the same info in, I got complete directions:

Google Maps

Hello, Apple? How about leaving the mapping to the experts? I never asked for Apple Maps on my phone, iPad, or desktop computer.

The apps you provide with the OS are like tools for getting a specific job done. When you provide tools that don’t work, it’s like reaching for a hammer and having it break when you need to bang in a nail.

Trouble Reading the Fine Print? Try This.

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A life hack for those of us in a certain age group.

SmartDriverThis morning, I faced the challenge of finding the model number on a charger for my Black and Decker SmartDriver screwdriver — AKA, my girlie drill. The charger — which also doubles as a base for holding screwdriver heads — was zapped by a power surge and I needed to replace it.

I held the little box on the end of the cord in my hand and looked at it. I could see there were words there, but I couldn’t begin to read them.

I put on my +1.50 readers. No joy.

I used the Mag Light app on my iPhone to give me an enlarged view. Now I could read the all-important model number, but I couldn’t keep the image still enough to get all the characters.

So I took a picture of it with my phone, being sure to let the camera lens focus on the text. Then I viewed the photo on my phone and zoomed in to the model number information. There it was, clear as day, motionless, easy to read.

Charger Photo
First, use your mobile device to take a photo of the item you can’t read.

Zoomed Photo
Then, zoom in to see the details of what you can’t read.

Technology is our friend.

Now I guess it’s time to get the +2.0 readers. Or maybe +2.50?