Apple’s iPhone Duo is officially on sale*, marking the company’s first entry into the foldable phone market. For scammers, that kind of high-profile debut creates ideal conditions to target buyers chasing early access to a premium device.
Kaspersky experts detected numerous scam attempts targeting victims in different parts of the world.
One such English-language website advertised what it claimed was a 25% discount for customers. Its design closely echoed Apple’s visual style, while a countdown timer stating that only 30 minutes remained until the end of the offer created a false sense of urgency and pushed visitors toward impulsive decisions. At checkout, users were asked to provide their contact details and shipping address.
Notably, the site did not request card information at that stage; instead, it claimed that a manager would contact the customer later to confirm delivery arrangements and payment details. In many cases, this kind of setup serves as the opening move in a fraudulent scheme that can ultimately lead to financial loss.
These “offers” are not limited to English-speaking audiences. Kaspersky also identified examples of multilingual pages where users can select their preferred language. For example, in one such case, a fake website showcased various features of the new device and invited users to place a preorder, even allowing them to choose the currency for the purchase. To make the offer appear credible, the site suggested that the user would supposedly be redirected to Apple’s official website – which, in reality, is not the case.
“Scammers move fast when a flagship device hits the market, because hype creates urgency and urgency lowers caution. These campaigns are designed to look credible, then push the target into a private exchange before they have time to verify anything.
“For fraudsters, a flagship buyer is a high-value mark: someone already willing to spend big and therefore more likely to share personal or payment-related details. That is exactly why unofficial discounts, preorders, or ‘availability checks’ should be treated as red flags,” says Olga Altukhova, Senior Web Content Analyst at Kaspersky.
