Yes, slap me upside the head for even trusting Apple with my personal info.

 

I came home from the range, did some cleaning, ate dinner, and finally checked my email. I was surprised to see a few receipts from iTunes. I quickly checked my back account to see if it was just a phishing email or for real-- and unfortunately it was for real. I immediately took action with my iTunes account (changed passwords, took off my CC, and deauthorized [though I don't really know what good that would do]). Then I called my bank, reported the unauthorized transactions, canceled the card, etc. I then spent the next ten minutes on the Apple site looking for a means of contacting them... finally resorted to [being an a--] and did a "Reporting a Problem" with EVERY unauthorized transaction made with the same message in each.

 

I then did a Google search, and found that, as I assumed, this is a wide spread problem. Some users who have been hacked had gift cards purchased, while others had apps and movies (such in my case). In every case, the user who had the issue reported that Apple basically told the customer to F themselves, and would only deal with police and the company/bank the card was with. I haven't careened into that sh-tstorm yet as Apple probably won't return my emails until tomorrow (and I can't contact them via phone until tomorrow's hours)... though I suppose it'll give me the time to put on my bib, loosen my belt, and bend over :shock:

 

While the problem could have definitely been due to the user (me), there are reports of others who have had the same issue who only accessed their accounts through their iPhones... plus, I take my cyber security relatively seriously.

 

I learned that I won't be using iTunes at all anymore... but it presents the problem because I have an iPhone... maybe I should cancel my plan with ATT, and move forward all together? Its just concerning because of the costs... though, I do feel quite jaded, and I'm sure it'll get worse as soon as Apple customer service has their way with demeaning me.

 

Just a forewarning I guess for those who utilize iTunes.

 

ETA: I forgot to mention that my CC company wiped the unauthorized transactions within minutes after getting off the phone, and restoring its balance.

Also, I forgot to ask if this has happened to anybody else? And if so, could you share your experience? Whether you do it here, or PM me (so I can know what to expect).

This happened to my friend as well. He now uses a reloadable debit card and only puts money on it when he wants to d/l stuff.

happened to my brother a few weeks ago. Apple told him its not them and someone must have stolen his credit card number.. funny they only used it for a few crappy songs and a crappy ring tone on itunes and nowhere else huh? so Apple wouldn't take credit for his account being hacked but the credit card company had no problem canceling the charges.

this is why I dont do itunes. =P but yes....

 

the reloadeable debit card is a great idea, as well as using a credit card, not a debit card.

 

Credit cards have stronger unauthorized purchase protection over debit cards, which are checking accounts, with few protections.

happened to my brother a few weeks ago. Apple told him its not them and someone must have stolen his credit card number.. funny they only used it for a few crappy songs and a crappy ring tone on itunes and nowhere else huh? so Apple wouldn't take credit for his account being hacked but the credit card company had no problem canceling the charges.

That's exactly what I was thinking. I took the precaution of canceling the card, but I doubt that I actually had to take that measure since there were no other charges aside from iTunes.

Apparently this is pretty common. A few months ago one of the tv news magazines did a piece on this exact thing, and as others have described here, Apple pretty much says it's not their problem. Pretty sh*tty business practice, but, what do they care? They're making money hand over fist. Sux that you got clipped, but at least your CC company is taking care of it. Good luck.

 

ETA: I only use iTunes to manage song transfers to my iPod.