Protecting against fraudulent Apple.com charges on bank statements

recently my wife and I have been experiencing bank drafts from Apple.com that our banks have determined to be fraudulent. The bank statements list an Apple phone number that provides a statement of charges that don't show the fraudulent activity the banks caught. Each time requires our banks to issue new debit cards. How do we protect ourselves and is Apple doing anything to stop this? Thanks! An Apple customer for many years of phones, music, and IPads!


[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: Fraudulent charges, Apple.com

iPhone 13 Pro Max, iOS 18

Posted on Nov 25, 2025 6:12 PM

Reply
4 replies

Nov 25, 2025 9:25 PM in response to Fireprose

The bank has to actually block the charges, not just issue you new cards. Recurring charges will automatically be applied to the new card numbers because the PNO (VISA, MasterCard, etc) uses an Automatic Billing Updater service to transfer those charges. More information about how those work are here.

https://stripe.com/resources/more/what-is-a-card-account-updater-what-businesses-need-to-know


This should not be a surprise to your bank as they participate in this service.

Nov 25, 2025 6:40 PM in response to Fireprose

I don't think it is an issue at Apple's end because although we see occasional mention of card fraud on the forum, it isn't as large as you'd expect given the large number of Apple customers. And certainly there is nothing pointing to it being something at Apple's end. There are many ways for thieves to get hold of card numbers. These range from people serving you and skimming your card while processing it, to devices that can be installed in a card reader at, say, a gas station. You may wish to instigate a broader search of your card activities and to whom you are providing your numbers.


If I make an online purchase I routinely remove my card from a vendor's database immediately after making the purchase.

Nov 25, 2025 6:39 PM in response to Fireprose

Fireprose wrote:

recently my wife and I have been experiencing bank drafts from Apple.com that our banks have determined to be fraudulent. The bank statements list an Apple phone number that provides a statement of charges that don't show the fraudulent activity the banks caught. Each time requires our banks to issue new debit cards. How do we protect ourselves and is Apple doing anything to stop this? Thanks! An Apple customer for many years of phones, music, and IPads!

[Re-Titled by Moderator]
Original Title: Fraudulent charges, Apple.com

Question is what are you doing to stop it? Having your bank change your card each time isn't an answer.

Have you contacted Apple support? Have you double checked your subscriptions?

Protecting against fraudulent Apple.com charges on bank statements

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