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Apple introduced a new security feature in iOS 27 designed to protect iPhone users from impersonation-based scams. Called Impersonation Risk Detection, the feature can identify signs that a user may be caught in an active social engineering scam, particularly when they are about to make a payment or change sensitive account information.
Scams involving fake banks, government agencies, delivery services, and even people users know have become increasingly common. Apple says the new feature is designed to detect suspicious activity and alert users before they complete potentially risky actions.
According to Apple, the feature protects users from active social engineering scams in which an attacker impersonates a bank, government agency or another trusted person and pressures the victim into making a payment or changing account details.
Impersonation Risk Detection analyzes information about the iPhone or iPad and the user’s Apple Account to identify signs of suspicious activity. When a supported app requests an assessment during a potentially risky action, the system generates a risk level that the app can use to determine what happens next.
There are three risk levels: Unknown, Medium and High. Unknown means no evidence of suspicious activity was detected, although Apple notes that this does not confirm an action is safe. Medium indicates some signs of suspicious activity, while High means significant signs of suspicious activity were detected.
The app does not receive the information used to generate the assessment. Instead, it receives only the resulting risk level and can decide how to respond.
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Users can enable Impersonation Risk Detection by opening Settings, tapping Privacy & Security, scrolling down and selecting Impersonation Risk Detection. They then need to turn on Share with App Developers. Users may also need to sign in to the App Store with their Apple Account.
The feature can be controlled on an app-by-app basis. However, Apple warns that it depends on supported apps and its risk assessment does not guarantee that an action is safe.
The company says the feature is therefore not designed to replace other security measures or user caution.
