How a College Student Lost $10,000 to "The IRS" in an Apple Gift Card Scam | Huntress

A university student was targeted by an IRS-themed phishing and vishing scam that began with a fraudulent email and webform and escalated to a phone call instructing the victim to purchase and divulge five $2,000 Apple gift cards; the attacker obtained the full $10,000 and likely operated from outside the United States, leaving law enforcement unable to recover the funds. The report details the attack sequence, the university police response, the victim's account, and recommendations to educate students about social-engineering and gift-card scams.