Apple warns scammers are using FaceTime to steal bank account passwords — here's what to watch for

Apple warns scammers are using FaceTime to steal bank account passwords — here's what to watch for Aditi Ganguly Sat, July 25, 2026 at 3:15 PM GMT+2 7 min read Mix-Tape/Envato Moneywise and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue through links in the content below. Scammers have figured out something useful about Apple's FaceTime: People trust it (1). So the fake call from your bank's "fraud team" now comes over video, with a polite voice asking you to share your screen and sort out some suspicious charges together.

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Apple is now warning customers about this scheme, CBS News reported (1). Scammers are impersonating bank representatives over FaceTime, then coaxing victims into screen-sharing sessions while they log into their accounts. The warning lands after the Federal Trade Commission said Americans reported losing $3.

5 billion to imposter scams in 2025, with bank impersonators driving the biggest share of business-impersonation losses (2). How the scam plays out, step by step The setup usually starts with a text. You get a message flagging suspicious activity on your bank or credit card, with a phone number to call.

Other victims skip the text and get a call directly from someone claiming the bank needs to verify their identity. Partway through, the caller switches the conversation from a regular audio call to FaceTime. A live video connection looks like proof that a real institution is on the other end.

Once on FaceTime, the scammer asks the victim to share their screen and log into their online banking — supposedly so the "representative" can confirm everything is secure. "The scammer watches in real-time while victims expose passwords" along with account numbers and one-time security codes, CBS News national consumer correspondent Ash-Har Quraishi said. Those one-time codes are the prize.

They're the keys that let a fraudster approve transfers from a device you've never touched. Hand one over on a shared screen and you've done the hardest part of the theft for them. Read More: Millionaires under 43 hold only 25% of their wealth in stocks.

Here's where their money is actually going Story Continues Why scammers picked FaceTime Apple told CBS that scammers picked FaceTime because people trust it. The app is a private line between friends and family, so a call coming through it carries a credibility a random 800 number never will. Fraudsters spent years spoofing caller ID for the same reason.

The FTC logged more than 1 million imposter-scam reports in 2025 — the top scam for the ninth year in a row, by the agency's count — and total reported fraud losses hit roughly $16 billion, a record and about 25% above 2024 (3). Business impersonators alone took nearly $1 billion, with fake bank employees responsible for the largest chunk. Government impersonators accounted for about $920 million more.

The agency has also flagged how these schemes have matured. "Really it's becoming much more sophisticated than it has been in the past," Patty Hsue, chief of staff for the FTC's Division of Marketing Practices, told CNBC in June (4). The misspelled robo-text that once gave scammers away has been replaced by patient scripts and a face on video.

The FTC says the costliest of these schemes follow the same opening move as the FaceTime version: a fake security alert, dressed up as a message from a bank, warning that your money is in danger. Once a victim believes that, the loss runs as deep as the account. If you keep $8,000 in checking, the scam's ceiling is $8,000.

The red flags Apple wants you to catch Never share your screen with anyone who contacts you out of the blue, no matter how official they sound. Apple says it will never ask for your password, passcode or two-factor authentication code, and neither will your bank. It helps to remember that FaceTime screen sharing only starts when you tap to allow it, so the scam stalls the moment you decline.

Urgency is another giveaway. A caller pressuring you to move money right now, before your account gets "frozen" or "compromised," is running a script designed to keep you from thinking. Hang up and call your bank yourself.

The FTC's guidance runs in the same direction. In the costliest versions of these scams, the agency says, victims are talked into moving money to "protect" it — and no legitimate bank or government agency will ever ask you to do that. And when you do call back, don't dial the number from the text that started all this — it rings straight to the scammer.

Use the number printed on the back of your debit or credit card instead. What to do if the call comes anyway Apple has built a reporting channel for this specific scam. If a suspicious FaceTime call comes in from someone claiming to be your bank, take a screenshot of it: tap the "info" button next to the call, hit "take live photo," and email the image to reportfacetimefraud@apple.

com . If money has already left your account, call your bank's fraud line immediately, because speed decides how much is recoverable. Then file a report at ReportFraud.

ftc. gov , which feeds the data regulators use to chase these operations (5). Your bank has never needed to watch you log into your account.

The only caller who does is the one robbing you. Get added protection Scams aren't just becoming more common — they're becoming harder to spot. Fraudsters are using artificial intelligence, spoofed phone numbers and realistic-looking emails to mimic banks, government agencies and even family members.

What used to be easy to identify as a scam can now look surprisingly convincing. A FaceTime call from a distressed family member that turns out to be AI is, unfortunately, a very real risk. That's why the old rule of "trust your gut" is no longer enough.

Platforms like Aura offer a way to manage device and identity protection in one place. Aura's AI-powered platform is designed to help protect your household from identity theft, phishing attempts, scams and malware across multiple connected devices. It can even alert you to potential fraud up to 650 times faster than traditional monitoring tools.

Aura also monitors spending activity for unusual transactions and can notify you when something looks out of the ordinary. If identity theft does occur, eligible users may qualify for up to $1 million in coverage for certain losses and related fees. Getting started is quick and easy.

Plus, you could save up to 68% if you sign up today — and Aura even offers a 60-day money-back guarantee if you're not satisfied. — With files from Godwin Oluponmile You May Also Like Here are the 7 top habits of 'quietly wealthy' Americans. How many do you follow?

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For details, see our ethics and guidelines . CBS News ( 1 ); Federal Trade Commission ( 2 ); Federal Trade Commission ( 3 ); CNBC ( 4 ); Federal Trade Commission ( 5 ) This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.