![]() The system itself is secure, since users have to pay, using their credit card, at the time of buying. When a user buys music or an app from Apple, they receive an invoice or statement as a record of their purchase. Scammers are exploiting the popularity of Apple's iTunes and App Store with some sneaky tricks that are outside the control of the company.Īpple has rigid processes in place to try to stop malware-infected apps finding their way onto the store, but they can't do much about crooks using their name in an attempt to steal users' account details. Watch Out for These Apple ID and iTunes Card Scams We also have a further warning about why you should never use an iTunes gift card to pay a bill - because it's a scam. We'll explain why, and the sneaky tricks they use to get hold of that information, in this week's issue. If you use an iPhone, an iPad or a Mac, you'll likely also have an Apple ID - an item of value that crooks want to get their hands on. If it’s quick, convenient and untraceable, the crooks like it.Latest phishing tricks aim to steal your Apple ID: Internet Scambusters #737 Wire transfers via Western Union or MoneyGram are still popular payment methods. The Federal Trade Commission warns that scammers might also ask for an Amazon gift card or a reloadable prepaid debit card like MoneyPak, Reloadit or Vanilla. ITunes is the latest, but not the only, payment method popular with criminals right now. If the money is already gone, Apple advises people to file a complaint with the FTC. A spokesman said that if someone contacts Apple Support after sending off the gift card code - and the money has not been drained from the card - they can freeze the account and have the money refunded to them. So, we hope Apple takes a look at this and tries to get serious about cracking down on this kind of scam.” And it seems from what consumers told us and what they’ve written on the Internet, that their complaints to Apple appear to be falling on deaf ears. “We reached out to Apple, but we never heard back. “We think Apple can and should be doing a better job of trying to get a handle onto this problem,” Breyault told NBC News. Read More: Phone Scammers Trick Sales Reps Into Giving Out Your Personal Info People are doing it and losing significant amounts of money. It sounds crazy, telling people to use gift cards to pay for an unpaid debt or back taxes, but it works. Stolen iTunes gift card codes are also being sold on the black market, Breyault told NBC News. ![]() If they’re asking for payment by an iTunes gift card, it’s a scam. Giving that code to somebody is like giving them cash. “Think of those digits on the back of these cards as cash. “Once this is done, the money on the card is quickly depleted by the scammer and the consumer is left with a worthless piece of plastic,” said John Breyault, a vice president at the National Consumers League who oversees the organization’s website. Luke Sharrett / Bloomberg via Getty Images store in Chesapeake, Virginia, U.S., on Thursday, Nov. iTunes gift cards are displayed for sale in a Best Buy Co. Sometimes, the crook will stay on the phone with the victim as they go to the store and buy the card. This can be done by phone call, text or email. When a fraudulent caller convinces someone to pay this way, the victim is told to go to a store, purchase an iTunes gift card, load money onto it and then provide the 16-digit code on the back of the card. Should you receive a request for payment using iTunes Gift Cards outside of iTunes and the App Store please report it at ftc.gov/complaint.” How the scam works “Any call requesting taxpayers place funds on an iTunes gift cards or other prepaid cards to pay taxes or fees is an indicator or fraudulent activity!” the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration cautioned.Īpple is aware of the problem and has posted this warning notice on the gift card section of its website: “iTunes Gift Cards are solely for the purchase of goods and services on the iTunes Store and App Store. Treasury Department recently issued a scam alert saying that callers impersonating IRS employees or pretending to be with the Treasury Department are demanding payments on iTunes gift cards.
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