Continue reading to learn about the consequences of a hacked Apple ID, five warning signs that your Apple ID has been hacked and what you can do to protect yourself.
What can happen if your Apple ID is hacked?
If your Apple ID is hacked, you could be negatively affected in the following ways:
Lost money: Since your Apple ID most likely ha how to build phone number list saved payment methods through credit cards or Apple Pay, a hacked Apple ID can result in financial loss. A hacker may use your saved payment information to make purchases through Apple or steal your credit card information for use on other platforms.
Leaked personal information: Any Personally Identifiable Information (PII) associated with your Apple ID account could be exposed if your account is hacked. A few examples of PII include your email address, phone number, birth date and credit card number. Hackers can use your leaked PII to access your other online accounts.
Stolen identity: You could become a victim of identity theft if your Apple ID is hacked because your account contains sensitive PII, such as passwords or financial account numbers.
Disabled devices: Someone with unauthorized access to your Apple ID can change your password and disable your Apple devices, locking you out entirely.
Tracked locations: A hacker who accesses your Apple ID account without your knowledge can track your devices’ locations, as well as the devices of people who share their location with you through Find My.
5 warning signs your Apple ID has been hacked
Here are five warning signs to be aware of that may indicate your Apple ID has been hacked.
1. You receive an email from Apple that someone logged in to your account
If your Apple ID has been hacked, you might receive an email from Apple notifying you that someone has logged in to your account on another Apple device. This email may contain information regarding the date and time of the login, the new device’s operating system and the type of device used. When you purchase a new Apple device and set it up with your Apple ID, you may receive a similar email. However, if you haven’t signed in to the device mentioned in the email, it means someone else has used your Apple ID to log in to their device.
