A Guide to Bitdefender Mobile Security’s Scam Alert for iOS

The Scam Alert feature available in the paid version of Bitdefender Mobile Security for iOS proactively protects iPhone and iPad users from phishing scams. Scam Alert for iOS includes two layers of protection that monitor scams delivered through SMS/MMS messages and calendar invites:

•  Text Message Filter (SMS, MMS)
•  Calendar Invite Link Scanner

Scam Alert for iOS protects against

Malicious text messages. The Scam Alert feature in Bitdefender Mobile Security for iOS identifies and filters unwanted SMS and MMS messages.

A malicious SMS/MMS (Short Message Service/Multimedia Messaging Service) refers to a type of message sent to mobile devices with harmful intent. These messages are designed to exploit vulnerabilities, deceive recipients, or cause harm to the target’s device, personal information, or security. Some common characteristics of malicious SMS/MMS include:

• Phishing Attacks: Malicious SMS/MMS may attempt to trick recipients into revealing sensitive information, such as passwords, credit card details, or personal identification numbers (PINs). These messages often masquerade as legitimate communication from banks, government agencies, or reputable companies.
• Premium Rate SMS Fraud: Some malicious messages might trick recipients into unknowingly subscribing to premium-rate services, resulting in unexpected charges on their mobile bills.

Calendar virus. The Scam Alert feature also detects spam calendars and events that contain dangerous links.

The calendar virus is a type of spam that affects the Calendar app of your iPhone, which can be annoying and potentially dangerous:

• You get unwanted calendar invitations or event notifications when you accidentally accept a fake calendar invite sent to your email address by hackers or spammers.
• When you click on the link in the invite, you unknowingly subscribe to the sender’s calendar, which allows them to send you more spam events.
• The spam events may contain links or attachments that could lead you to phishing pages or other cyber threats if you open them.

Benefits

• Scam Alert keeps you safe from dangerous links in text messages, picture messages, and calendar events that can steal your money, passwords, and private information.
• Automatically filters suspicious messages from unknown senders and moves them to the Junk folder for text messages on your iPhone. This way, you won’t accidentally tap on dangerous scam or phishing links.
• Detects malicious calendar events and makes it easy to get rid of them. It even shows you how to unsubscribe from unwanted calendar spam.

Set up Scam Alert in Bitdefender Mobile Security for iOS

To enable Scam Alert, you need to grant the Bitdefender Mobile Security app access to calendar notifications and SMS messages:

Find junk messages on your iPhone

To find the junk messages on your iPhone, follow these steps:

1. Open the   Messages app, usually found on your home screen.

2. In the Messages app, tap the Filters option in the top left corner.

3. You will find all the messages from unknown or suspicious senders that Bitdefender Mobile Security has filtered for you into dedicated folders:

• Transactions
• Promotions 
• Junk

Inside the Junk folder, you’ll find messages that have been identified as potentially spam or phishing. Take a look through these messages to ensure you’re not missing any important content. Depending on your preference, you can delete these messages or move them back to your main inbox if you find any legitimate content that was mistakenly marked as junk.