On March 16, 2026, a hacker ran 109 keywords across 3 ad groups targeting vulnerable Mac users — all pointing to fake Apple support pages. They spent $3,970 of our money in one day. We're publishing every keyword, every domain, and every data point. Help us figure out who did this.
Targeted Mac users worried about storage — "clean my mac", "system data too large", "free up disk space". Sent them to macstorage.squarespace.com — a fake Apple storage optimization page.
| Keyword | Impr. | CTR | Clicks | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| clean my mac | 1,583 | 2.78% | 44 | $160.97 |
| appcleaner mac | 1,245 | 5.78% | 72 | $275.78 |
| clean mac storage | 1,276 | 4.31% | 55 | $225.70 |
| how to clear storage on mac | 1,267 | 5.29% | 67 | $262.96 |
| how to free disk space on mac | 1,232 | 3.98% | 49 | $197.02 |
| system data mac | 613 | 7.83% | 48 | $184.75 |
| system data mac storage | 697 | 5.31% | 37 | $143.11 |
| how to clean up mac | 599 | 4.84% | 29 | $112.69 |
| clear space on mac | 543 | 3.68% | 20 | $83.50 |
| free up disk space mac | 484 | 3.51% | 17 | $65.03 |
| clear system storage mac | 351 | 5.13% | 18 | $67.07 |
| clean system data mac | 316 | 6.65% | 21 | $88.99 |
| how to clear system data on mac | 341 | 5.57% | 19 | $76.66 |
| how to free up storage on mac | 423 | 4.26% | 18 | $69.90 |
| how to free up space on mac | 67 | 7.46% | 5 | $19.61 |
| how to delete other storage on mac | 97 | 7.22% | 7 | $26.71 |
| maccleaner | 40 | 12.50% | 5 | $18.52 |
| system data on mac is huge | 238 | 3.36% | 8 | $34.87 |
| + 20 more keywords with lower spend... | ||||
Highest CTR of all 3 groups (7.94%). Targeted Mac users with USB/external drive issues — frustrated, panicked users who clicked immediately. Sent to macusbc.squarespace.com — a fake Apple USB support page.
| Keyword | Impr. | CTR | Clicks | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| mac usb c port not working | 237 | 8.02% | 19 | $75.57 |
| macbook not detecting usb | 107 | 8.41% | 9 | $34.28 |
| external hard drive mac not showing up | 234 | 7.69% | 18 | $69.03 |
| mac not recognizing external hard drive | 306 | 6.21% | 19 | $71.26 |
| macbook usb port not working | 160 | 6.88% | 11 | $41.07 |
| mac pro usb c port not working | 91 | 6.59% | 6 | $23.67 |
| macbook not detecting usb drive | 116 | 5.17% | 6 | $23.63 |
| hard drive not showing up macbook | 25 | 4.00% | 1 | $3.00 |
Targeted Mac users searching for how to see hidden/dot files — a more technical audience, possibly users with malware already installed trying to investigate. Sent to macshowfiles.squarespace.com.
| Keyword | Impr. | CTR | Clicks | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| check hidden files in mac | 702 | 4.13% | 29 | $108.14 |
| show hidden files mac | 251 | 3.98% | 10 | $32.81 |
| finder show dotfiles | 17 | 11.76% | 2 | $6.07 |
| show hidden files on mac os | 68 | 7.35% | 5 | $20.81 |
| finder show hidden file | 71 | 7.04% | 5 | $17.41 |
| command to see hidden files in mac | 155 | 3.87% | 6 | $19.09 |
| mac how to see hidden files | 113 | 4.42% | 5 | $20.88 |
| apple mac show hidden files | 96 | 4.17% | 4 | $15.20 |
| display hidden files mac | 124 | 3.23% | 4 | $18.32 |
| apple finder show hidden files | 144 | 2.08% | 3 | $12.00 |
| mac os show hidden | 84 | 2.38% | 2 | $9.36 |
| display hidden folders mac | 41 | 2.44% | 1 | $3.75 |
All 6 domains were created on Squarespace — free/cheap, no hosting setup required, no server logs accessible. They were all live on March 16 and taken down within days. URLs were swapped mid-attack (47 minutes in) to evade detection.
The hacker broke into our Google Ads account and used our payment card to run their campaign — so their own costs are zero.
Vulnerable Mac users searching for help with storage, USB drives, or hidden files clicked the ads and landed on convincing-looking Apple-branded pages.
The landing pages showed a phone number (likely a 1-800 number to a fake "Apple support center"). Callers were told their Mac was infected and charged $200–$500 for fake repairs. Some were given remote access to their machine.
The hacker profits, the victim loses twice — once as the business whose account was hijacked to pay for the ads, and once as the Mac user who was scammed on the landing page.
This is a federal crime — impersonating Apple constitutes wire fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1343. The FTC and FBI actively investigate this pattern. If you have information about who operates these pages, please submit a tip below.
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If you clicked one of these Mac support ads around March 16, 2026 and were charged by a "support technician":