Apple has confirmed an organized fraud that took place on the iTunes Store during the Independence Day weekend, resulting in unauthorized App Store purchases being made on behalf of some users. If you’re a victim of this scam, the company said, credit card companies will sort out the mess.
As Geek reported yesterday, an organized group of thieves teamed up with App Store book publisher Thuat Nguyen to purchase his book apps using stolen iTunes Store credentials. As a result of those fraud sales, Nguyen’s book apps became top sellers in the App Store’s book category even though they’re in Vietnamese and cover niche topics.
Apple moved in swiftly, Engadget reported today, to rectify the situation. The iPhone maker told the publication it has banished Thuat Nguyen from the store. Apple is also advising the affected customers to ask their credit card company to issue a chargeback for any unauthorized transactions. Here is Apple’s official statement in its entirety:
The developer Thuat Nguyen and his apps were removed from the App Store for violating the developer Program License Agreement, including fraudulent purchase patterns.
Developers do not receive any iTunes confidential customer data when an app is downloaded.
If your credit card or iTunes password is stolen and used on iTunes we recommend that you contact your financial institution and inquire about canceling the card and issuing a chargeback for any unauthorized transactions. We also recommend that you change your iTunes account password immediately. For more information on best practices for password security visit http://www.apple.com/support/itunes.
