iOS 27's New Scam Protection Is Switched Off by Default. Here's How to Turn It On

Apple has added a new scam protection feature to iOS 27 called Impersonation Risk Detection, and it's aimed at exactly the kind of scam I hear about most, where someone pretends to be your bank, a government department or a person you trust. The catch is that it comes switched off, so it won't do anything for you until you turn it on. The good news is that this takes less than a minute, and I'll walk you through it below.

What Apple has added

According to Apple's own description, which 9to5Mac has reported on, Impersonation Risk Detection is designed to help against what's known as social engineering. That's a fancy way of saying a scammer talks you into doing something yourself, such as making a payment or changing your account details, usually by pretending to be someone official and putting you under pressure.

Apple points out that the usual security tools can't always catch this, and that includes two-factor authentication, which is the extra code sent to your phone when you log in. The reason is simple, because in these scams it's you taking the action, even though you've been tricked into it, so as far as your bank or account is concerned everything looks normal.

How it works

Once it's switched on, your iPhone looks at information about your device and your Apple Account to spot signs that a scam might be happening right now. It then gives the app you're using a risk level, which is one of these:

• Unknown, meaning no signs of suspicious activity were found
• Medium, meaning some signs of suspicious activity were found
• High, meaning significant signs of suspicious activity were found

The app only receives that risk level and not the information behind it, so your personal details aren't being handed over. It's then up to the app to decide what to do, and Apple gives examples such as asking you to confirm who you are, adding a delay before something goes through, or showing you a warning.

How to turn it on

This is the bit worth doing today. On your iPhone:

• Open Settings
• Tap Privacy & Security
• Tap Impersonation Risk Detection
• Switch on Share with App Developers

If you can't see the option, it's worth checking that your iPhone is running iOS 27, which you can do in Settings, then General, then Software Update. You can find out more about iOS on Apple's UK website.

What we don't know yet

The feature only works in apps that support it, and Apple hasn't published a list of those apps yet. So once you've switched it on, you may not notice anything different straight away, and that's normal. Turning it on now simply means it's ready to help as and when the apps you use start supporting it.

What I think

I'd recommend that everyone turns this on, because it sounds like a great feature and there's no reason to leave it switched off.

It's worth remembering, though, that it works inside supported apps rather than checking every email and text you receive, so your own habits still matter a great deal. I've seen plenty of phishing attempts aimed at people with Yahoo or Hotmail email addresses, where a message that looks completely real asks you to update your account security. All it takes is one click on that link, and it can lead to money problems as well as your personal information ending up in the wrong hands.

The one habit I'd encourage

If something comes out of the blue about your security, whether it's a call, an email or a text, never click a link in it and don't go along with the call. Stop what you're doing and find the official way to get in touch yourself, which means going to the company's own website or ringing the phone number you already know is theirs. A real bank or company won't mind you checking, and a scammer will be stopped in their tracks.

If you'd like a hand switching this on, or you're not sure whether a message you've received is real, you can ask iHelp AI a quick question at /chat, or book a session with us, remotely anywhere in the UK or in person across Dorset.

Alex