Scammers Use FaceTime to See You Type Bank Passwords

A familiar Apple app is suddenly at the center of a new banking scam. CBS News reports that fraudsters are posing as bank employees, then shifting routine calls into FaceTime video chats to win victims' trust and watch them enter sensitive information in real time. The playbook: People get a text about supposed account trouble and are told to call a number. Or, sometimes they'll receive a surprise call directly requesting "additional verification." The caller then moves to FaceTime and persuades the targeted individual to share their screen as they log into online banking, exposing account numbers, security codes, and those coveted passwords.

Apple says scammers are piggybacking on FaceTime's reputation as secure. "Nothing in this process requires malware on the device," notes Malwarebytes. "The 'exploit' is human trust, backed by familiar names, logos, and a real-time call that feels inherently more legitimate than a text message. That makes FaceTime a useful delivery channel for social engineering, especially since users are used to seeing Apple notifications and support prompts elsewhere in their digital life." The company urges users who get suspicious calls to hang up, contact their bank using the number on their card, and report FaceTime fraud by sending screenshots to reportfacetimefraud@apple.com.