Highland Council’s trading standards department has warned consumers to be aware of e-mail scammers masquerading as one of the biggest music providers in the world.
Fraudsters are sending messages to people in the region pretending to be from Apple iTunes – asking people to click on a link to get a refund if they have not made a purchase recently.
The recipient is then redirected to a fraudulent web page and asked to provide their debit payment card details to get the refund transferred to their account.
The details are being entered into a malicious web page used to harvest personal details, most likely in order to access bank accounts.
The council’s warning comes following an increase in customer inquiries about the dodgy messages.
A spokeswoman said: “Trading standards advise all consumers to be vigilant when responding to unsolicited e-mails received.
“Consumers can take steps themselves by purchasing a good detection package with a SPAM filter that automatically deletes suspect e-mails or puts them in a separate folder.”
Apple insists it will never ask people to provide sensitive account information such as passwords or payment details via e-mail.
Those who have completed the fraudulent web form should contact their bank immediately.
They should also not use online banking services until receiving confirmation that their device has not been compromised by malware.
Consumers can also contact police on 101 if they feel they may have been a victim of fraud.
The council spokeswoman added: “Consumers can speak to an advisor from the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 03454 04 05 06 or visit or write to The Highland Council Trading Standards Service, 38 Harbour Road, Inverness IV1 1UF.”