We covered the iTunes 4th of July “Hack” yesterday. Apple issued a statement claiming that only 400 accounts were compromised in this recent, and first “major” iTunes related fraud. To put that in perspective that is some 0.0003% of all iTunes accounts currently active. And when you consider all the facts Apple’s history to date is considerably better than most credit card company’s fraud records. Which are really the only kind of service comparable in reach and customer base to iTunes now.
Some pundits are still trying to make the case for it being a much bigger hack than Apple claims. Their logic is based on erroneous assumptions of how hard it is to get into the Top 50 apps in any particular category in the App Store. In actual fact 400 accounts, each downloading one copy of an app over a period of a couple of days is more than enough to propel apps up the iTunes charts to lofty positions in many of the categories.
A few sites have picked up on the news today that Apple was briefly advertising for an “iTunes Fraud Prevention Specialist”. This post would be based in Austin, Texas, and require a candidate who could work to “cancel fraudulent orders” and “research and resolve fraud escalations from various sources”. Which basically translates to liaising with Credit Card companies, and customers via them.
It is interesting timing from Apple. But with it being general knowledge that a trickle of iTunes accounts are regularly being traded on the Chinese Black Market it seems a sensible move. And probably one that Apple has been mulling over for some time.
The job ad was pulled down quite quickly today. Which seems like a strange move from Apple. Some are interpreting this as them trying to avoid bad PR. But perhaps they simply found their candidate that quickly. There are a few people with the required skills floating around from bank meltdowns in recent history, after all!
In any case, Apple seem to be aware of the threat and are working to ensure that their records stays as clean as possible moving forward.
Are you worried about iTunes fraud? Let us know your thoughts in the comments…
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One Comment on ““Apple Briefly Advertises For iTunes Fraud Prevention Specialist””
My account was hacked and when I brought the bogus charges up for dispute to iTunes they replied refusing to look further into the matter because my “purchases” hadn't yet cleared. In other words they want me to pay for fraudulent charges before they do anything about it. I can't believe Apple wants to continue this fraud!!!
The email from iTunes is below:
“Dear #####,
Our records show that the purchase in question, order #####, has not yet been processed and your credit card or payment account has not been charged. We are unable to proceed until we receive payment.
iTunes will continue to try to get authorization for the outstanding balance for the next seven days. Until this balance is paid in full, you will not be able to make any new purchases from the iTunes Store. The best way to resolve this issue is to contact your financial institution and advise them of the unpaid purchase. Please also make sure your billing information for the iTunes Store matches your financial institution's records exactly. Once the payment has processed, we can investigate your concern further.
Alternatively, you can purchase an iTunes Music Card and redeem it on your account to pay the outstanding balance.
I realize it may be frustrating to pay for this purchase before we can investigate the problem you reported. However, I can't proceed without first receiving payment in some form.
Sincerely,
Kevin”