An anonymous AppleCare support representative spoke to ZDNet's Ed Bott over the weekend, telling the reporter that complaints about malware infections on the Mac increased significantly in the first half of May.



From TUAW:

Earlier this month, a new series of malicious software packages with names like "Mac Defender," "Mac Security," and "Mac Protector" began to assault Apple's computing platform. Websites would alert users their Macs were infected and persuade them to download and install "Mac Defender" to protect their computers from the alleged attack. Rather than eliminate malware, these trojans prompt users to provide credit card information to their authors. It's all a scam.

Even so, the scam appears to be quite effective. The AppleCare staffer claims many callers believed the warnings from these malware packages were legitimate or came from Apple and, in the last week, call volume for the computer-maker's support lines were up to five times higher than normal. "I really wish I could say not many people will fall for this, but in this last week, we have had nothing but Mac Defender and similar calls," the AppleCare representative told Bott.

  AppleCare rep tells Ed Bott Mac malware reports are up