Apple Pay is a payment service that allows you to link your credit or debit card and use it for contactless money transfer via your Apple device, including iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches. It also allows you to send or receive money from other Apple Pay users via Apple Cash, akin to Venmo, CashApp, and PayPal.
Although Apple Pay is a secure mechanism with less chance of anything happening wrong, scammers have found several ways to cheat unsuspecting customers. Therefore, it is essential to know how these scams work so that you can detect them and protect yourself from falling victim.
People often ask, ‘Can I get scammed on Apple Pay?’ The answer is yes, but only if you do not follow cybersecurity best practices.
In this article, we’ll explain how you can get scammed on Apple Pay and what steps you can take to protect yourself. Here’s what we will cover:
- Popular scams targeting Apple Pay users
- How to protect yourself from Apple Pay scams?
- What to do if you fell for the scam?
Popular scams targeting Apple Pay users
Let us understand the modus operandi of some of the popular scams targeting Apple Pay users:
Malicious customer support calls
The primary objective of scammers is to lure the victims into divulging their personal information. Here, customer support calls come in handy. Customers usually do not suspect anything wrong when giving their personal information to someone from the company.
However, you should know that reputed companies never ask for your personal or financial information, including bank account details, OTP, two-factor authentication code and passwords.
Overpayment scams
Overpayment scams are most prevalent in apps like Venmo and CashApp. In this scam, the scammer will send you an extra amount for your selling product. Then, they will ask for a refund of the extra amount.
Well, there is nothing wrong with it, you may ask. However, scammers usually use stolen credit cards for this purpose. So, in this scam, you may get the money for your product, but the transaction is essentially illegal and fraud.
Be aware when something like this happens on any payment platform you use.
SMS text informing you that your account has been hacked
This is also the most prevalent form of phishing. Here, scammers send you text messages or emails informing you that your Apple account has been compromised.
To protect your account, they will send a link via the communication. However, this link is malicious and may contain malware or lead you to a landing page where they will ask you to enter your personal and financial information. Unsuspecting customers will usually do this without questioning the motive. First, they are stressed, and second, the landing page will look like Apple’s customer support page.
Once you have entered the information, the scammers will wipe out the money.
Gift card requests
In this scam, scammers demand gift card payments by creating a fake emergency. These emergencies may include an accident, hospital money, or debt payment.
The victim, showing humanity, often buys gift cards from the nearest retailer. After that, the victim is told to share the card number on the back of the card over the phone or via message.
Once the victim shares the card number, scammers can use it to spend the card quickly.
Use of an insecure WiFi
Scammers may install insecure WiFi to lure customers into using the service. Once you connect your device to that insecure WiFi, they can see your every move, including your online transactions.
Although this scam is not limited to Apple Pay, it is also one of the most widely used techniques to cheat people.
To know more about phishing types, head to our article on What is phishing? Types of phishing scams and how to protect yourself? here.
Also read: Is Robinhood a scam? Is it safe?
How to protect yourself from Apple Pay scams?
Now that you have learnt the basic modus operandi of scams prevalent on Apple Pay let us now understand how you can protect yourself:
- First, do not send money to anyone if you have not received the product.
- If anyone claims to send you a check in return for the money on Apple Pay, avoid this, as it could be a scam.
- If someone claims a refund after ‘accidentally’ sending you money, take great care; this could be another scam.
- Do not click on any link you receive via text or email. These links contain malicious downloaders that can wreak havoc on your systems.
- Do not send money to a stranger, irrespective of any emergency they may present before yourself.
- Never share the one-time password (OTP) or two-factor authentication (2FA) with anyone. As explained earlier, scammers create elaborate phishing messages to lure victims into clicking on a link. Practice certain restraints and remember what we have explained here.
- Do not use public WiFi as often as possible; these WiFis are unsafe.
Head to this article to understand if Apple Pay refunds money if you’re scammed.
Also read: Is Jupiter app safe?
What to do if you fell for the scam?
Thousands of people regularly fell for the scam. The primary reason is the lack of education regarding cybersecurity issues and best practices.
So, here we are with some steps that you should take if you are scammed:
- Immediately contact Apple Pay support and report them.
- Disconnect your credit card and bank account from Apple Pay.
- Contact your bank account and report the fraud so that it can be frozen. This will protect your account, and scammers can no longer hack into your money.
- Install a reputed antivirus software on your device.
- Report the cybercrime to the FBI and Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
In conclusion, you can be scammed on Apple Pay if you don’t take precautions. However, we have detailed these steps and what to do if you fall victim to scams. Read these steps and apply them daily to protect your privacy and security.
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