Recently many people have opened LINE, all saw a reminder message from “Service Messages” that said “Please complete the Apple or Google account setup as soon as possible” and attached a link. Many people’s first reaction is “Is this a scam?” They even dare not click directly. After all, fraud techniques are becoming more and more sophisticated. As long as there is a link and more requirements, most people will become more wary.
In fact, this notice is not false news, but an official account health check promotion campaign launched by LINE. This article will use the simplest way to help you determine the source of the message, understand why the official issued this reminder, and if you don’t want to click on the link, you can also use the “manual three-step” to set it yourself, which is safer and more secure.
Is receiving a LINE account health check message a scam? Teach you to quickly identify and improve account security
Scams have been rampant in recent years, and everyone has become more alert to all kinds of anonymous messages, friend invitations, and suspicious URLs, and they are afraid to click on links from unfamiliar accounts whenever they see them. A while ago, many LINE users suddenly received a notification from “Service Messages”. The content said that please complete the Apple or Google account settings as soon as possible. It also attached a hyperlink and even emphasized that “switching” is related to “account retrieval”. This seemingly thoughtful, yet somewhat urging message has put many people in a dilemma. If you click on it, you’re afraid of being poisoned. If you don’t click on it, you’re afraid that something might happen if your account is not bound.
If you’ve also received this message and are wondering, “Is it real or a scam?” you’re not alone. In fact, this reminder is not a false message, but a system notification proactively issued by LINE officials. There is a special reason behind it.
Is this message credible? Just look at “Green Shield” to know
To judge the authenticity of this message, the most important key is whether the sender has a “green shield”.
Just look carefully at the account name “Service Messages” and you will find a green shield in front of the name, which means that the account has been officially certified by LINE. In principle, as long as it is an account that has been officially certified, cannot be blocked, and is responsible for pushing system notifications, its credibility is quite high, which is completely different from those fraudulent accounts that imitate official avatars. This notification is also for users who have not yet completed binding, so if you have already bound, you may not have seen this message this time.
▲Picture source: LINE Taiwan official BLOG
If you are still worried, you can add another layer of confirmation: open the official LINE blog. LINE was released on November 19 this yearannouncement, explaining that this “Account Health Check Promotion Campaign” will gradually notify users who have not yet completed the binding, with the purpose of helping to improve account security and reduce the risk of theft. In other words, this is not a promotion, there will be no charge, and it is not a phishing link, but LINE is actively reminding you to strengthen the protection of your personal account.
Why is LINE making such a big move to remind you this time?
In fact, the reason is very simple. In recent years, there have been more and more cases of account theft. According to official statistics, many victims are unable to recover their accounts after they are stolen because they are not bound to Google, Apple or Email. This mandatory reminder is mainly to help you complete the following three safety guarantees:
- Increase the “recovery probability” when your account is stolen:
If your LINE is hacked, after binding your Apple ID or Google account, the system will have more comparison methods to help you log in again and avoid your account being permanently taken away. - Switching to a new phone will be smoother:
After many people changed to new mobile phones, their LINE chat records and friend information disappeared because the data transfer was incomplete or the third-party account was not bound. After the binding is completed, it will be much easier to change mobile phones. - You can also recover your account if you accidentally delete LINE:
Some people delete the app by mistake, only to find that their account information cannot be restored after reinstalling it. By binding a third-party account, you can log in with your Google or Apple identity without having to create a new account.
The above three points are all things that may really happen in daily life, so LINE will proactively send reminders.
▲Picture source: LINE Taiwan official BLOG
What else can you do if you don’t dare to click on the link in the message?
Even if they know that this is an official message, some people still want to be safer and don’t want to risk clicking on the link. Don’t worry, you can skip the link and bind it yourself from the LINE App. This is the safest and most stable way. The following is the simplest “three manual steps”:
- Enter LINE settings:
Open LINE → click “Home” in the lower left corner → click the “gear icon” in the upper right corner. - Go to “My Account”:
After entering the settings page, find “My Account”. - Bind Apple ID or Google account:
Here you will see relevant binding options, just follow the steps on the screen. If the binding is successful, the interface will display “Cancel synchronization”, which means that your account has been fully linked successfully.
When binding, please note that the phone number, email account and password must be bound, and at least bound to Apple or Google Cloud, which will provide more peace of mind when backing up data. A special reminder is that if you have just upgraded to a new iPhone 17 or just moved your account, you may not be able to bind or unbind within 24 hours. This is normal and you just need to try again later.
▲Picture source: LINE Taiwan official BLOG
Conclusion
As long as you see a Service Messages account with a “green shield”, it is an official notification from LINE and is not a scam. However, if you are still worried, it is absolutely fine not to click on the link in the message. Follow the instructions in this article to bind data on the LINE settings page to ensure the security of your account.
After completing the binding, even if your account is stolen, the app is accidentally deleted, or you get a new phone, the success rate of retrieving your account can be greatly improved. Since it is a free and guaranteed setting, you might as well spend 1 minute to complete it and give your LINE an extra layer of security protection.
If you haven’t bound your Apple ID or Google account yet, you might as well complete the settings now. When you encounter a situation later, you will be glad you did so.
Further reading:
Source: KOCPC Chinese