iTunes

Hackers raid accounts of iTunes users to steal money from store credit and gift cards

Users claim gift cards spent without them knowing
PayPal accounts 'fraudulently used by other people'
Apple refunds money but says incidents are 'isolated'

Hackers have been breaking into the accounts of hundreds of iTunes users to steal their store credit and gift cards, reports the Global Mail.

The users claim on customer forums that their store credit or gift cards have been spent and their PayPal accounts fraudulently used by others.

Any security issue would potentially pose a threat to the 200million active members on the technology giant's hugely popular music website.




Apple is refunding lost money and resetting accounts, users say, but the company tells them this is only a ‘one-time exception to our sales policy’.

Fiona McKinlay loaded a £25 ($40) gift card and found her balance was at £1.02 ($1.62) days later because of In-App Purchases she didn’t make.

Apple disabled the Brit's account, refunded the lost money, de-authorised her account’s machines and then reactivated it. But she wasn’t happy.

‘They were very helpful (but) failed to acknowledge there may be any sort of problem with their system,’ she told non-profit website The Global Mail.

She claimed Apple said ‘this is a one-time exception to our sales policy’, suggesting they were ‘just being nice’ as they thought it was her fault.

Forum user MacAurora said their $50 gift card was hacked by someone who made purchases from Sega on the game Kingdom Conquest.

The user was told by Sega to ask Apple for a refund, but Apple told him ‘it's not responsible for In App Purchases’, reported The Global Mail.

'They were very helpful (but) failed to acknowledge that there may be any sort of problem with their system'

Fiona McKinlay, iTunes user

The iTunes Store has 200 million active accounts and $5.4billion net sales were made on iTunes, the App store and iBookstore in the last fiscal year.

But concerned users who say they have been hacked claim the company is wrong to insist each attack is isolated and believe there is a bigger problem.

Some claim their personal details such as addresses were changed after hackers got into their iTunes accounts, reported The Global Mail.

Others say they wish there was a live person available to discuss issues on unauthorised transactions and that an online form is not enough.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2097851/Apple-iTunes-accounts-hacked-steal-money-store-credit-gift-cards.html#ixzz1ljtZ36PY