BOARDMAN A Boardman woman lost nearly all the data on her cell phone this week after a scammer convinced her to give up control of her account during a fraudulent phone call.

The incident serves as a reminder of how tactics can be used by criminals to compromise digital security.

The victim told police she received a call from an unknown male on Monday claiming a transaction for $12,000 was suspended on her account. The caller then instructed the victim to “reset her Apple account” and provided her with a temporary password.

The victim followed the instructions, using the password the caller provided. She ended the conversation shortly after, but about five minutes later, she discovered her iPhone had been completely wiped of all information, text messages, and photos.

When the victim attempted to log in using her laptop, she found she was locked out. She reported that the unknown male had made her phone number an "unknown phone number" on the account. She contacted her banks to freeze her accounts but was unable to recover access to her phone or data.

Experts note that sophisticated scams often rely on tricking victims into handing over their Apple ID or other login credentials. Once a criminal has control of an account, they can exploit legitimate security features, such as the "Find My" service, to remotely execute a factory reset on the device. This action restores the device to its original settings, wiping all user data.

After successfully compromising the victim’s phone, the male caller contacted her again, claiming to have her information and demanding she purchase gift cards to upload to a payment app. The victim hung up and reported the incident to the police.

Experts advise consumers to adopt a high level of caution, as tech support and financial scams often rely on pressure and fear to bypass a person's judgment.

The Federal Communications Commission advises that consumers should never provide personal or sensitive information in response to unexpected calls. This includes account numbers, passwords, or Social Security numbers.

If a caller claims to represent a government agency, bank, or tech company:

  • Hang up immediately. Do not respond to questions, especially those that can be answered with "Yes."
  • Verify the request independently. Use a phone number on an official account statement or the company's official website to call them back. Companies will not ask you to change security settings or provide sensitive details over the phone in an unsolicited call.
  • Be wary of pressure. Scammers often threaten immediate consequences, such as account suspension, to pressure you into acting quickly before you have time to think or verify the call's legitimacy.
  • Never pay with gift cards. Legitimate companies and government agencies do not accept gift cards, cryptocurrency, or payment apps for official charges or fees.