I had a very similar thing occur with my account.. $40 dollar gift card bought, a changed name and address which I do not recognize, still my phone number and email. The strangest thing is that the charges were NOT to my credit card, but to a different card which I do not recognize. Maybe even stranger, the 40 dollars has been credited to my account which as far as I know I should only have access to after changing my account info and password. Should I feel safe putting my information and card number back on to my account, and should I use the 40 dollars credited to buy music, or would that be considered stealing from the random act of someone adding 40 dollars to my account? A very strange thing going on with Itunes here.

My card got charged 2 $50 anounts by iTunes, but my iTunes account record does not show those charges. I had bought 2 songs for $0.99 and $1.99. I got an email reciept for these, but was never charged. Strangely the timing of those charges on my CC was coincident with doing an iTunes upgrade.

I managed to get apple on the phone even though they don’t have a phone number for iTunes. I called the main Apple customer service, told them I know you don’t answer iTunes issues on the phone, and managed to get someone sympathetic to my cause who fowarded me to the iphone tech department. They chatted with the iTunes department and tried for nearly an hour to figure it out without success and told be to call the bank. I asked why exactly 2 $50 charges, because I had no idea what they were for and the operator mentioned “probably gift cards” Strange…

I’m not exactly sure what just happened with my account. I got an email that a purchase for a $50 gift card had been made on my account yesterday, but was made witha a card number I don’t recognize (not mine). They also changed my city/state but left the rest of my address the same. I’ve contacted Apple, but found the same thing everyone else has, it’s email only and phone support is non-existant. Judging by the other replies here email support is non-existant as well. I have no idea how someone got into my account, but I’ve changed my password, removed any payment info and deauthorized all computers. This is dissapointing to say the least. Thanks Apple.

FYI, this was 2.5 years ago for me, I changed my password and I’ve never had a problem since.

We should all routinely change our passwords, especially those connected to accounts that are tied to our charge cards. That includes the e-mail accounts that those accounts (and charge cards) will send the password to if you forget them.

(Although that doesn’t look as if it helped in Monique’s case above. It appears to have happened right after changing the password)

Apple does require that you have a valid account. And it needs to be tied to that device. The Apps have DRM (digital rights management) protection so you want to make sure it’s on the account that all your other “stuff” is purchased on or you cannot run it all.

If you have a new device it makes you authenticate they the charge card. On an iDevice, it even makes do this after a (major?) iOS upgrade. This is normal. It might even do it with computer upgrades too, I don’t recall.

What I don’t understand is why would someone fraudulently buy a PROTECTED copy of The Hangover when they could download it easier on-line and probably higher quality unprotected. (I believe you, I’ve repeating this again and again as part of this process). I think it’s a computer accounting problem at Apple.

I just purchased an iphone on Friday. Tried to download the Facebook app (that stated FREE ) right next to it. It would not download until I logged into my apple account. I’ve only used my apple account once YEARS ago when I bought my son a shuffle. So I log in and before I can download the free facebook app, Apple is insisting I update my credit card information. So I get very skeptical about this and go to the apple website from my computer to set up my new password for my account. I then login in with my apple id and new password on my iphone. I get into my acocunt and again it is insisting I update my credit card information. First of all it never made sense why it needed that info for a FREE Facebook app….I just though it was policy or something at this point. I just looked at my banking statement and there is a charge for a movie from itunes! The Hangopver. A movie that I already own on DVD…..So yeah , I will be contacting my bank today and disputing this charge. So I start reading some forums and find out I am not the only one going through this. THis is Bullshit.

I’m having the same problem! 84$ have gone in the morning because someone keeps using it to buy “KingdomConquest-, xxxCP, Seller: SEGA CORPORATION”. Haven’t even heard the heck of this game. Changing the password doesn’t stop them. Now I’m trying to report a problem but iTune can only do it online, no phone service. Hope I can get my refund back.

Same here. 2 $50 gift cards for “John” purchased on an American Express credit card (not mine, I don’t have AMEX). My e-mail address is the only thing that belongs to me. The address is jeffrey brust, 7 st. johns st bentonville, AR 72712-4082 USA. Checked my e-mail at work to find this. Can’t change anything on itunes until I get home much later tonight. What a hassle!

I’m going to guess in that case, they bought a bunch of their own apps. It’s a good way to launder money. Steal a charge card, buy your own $60 app, get 70% of it sent to you by Apple…

My iTunes account has been hacked on the 24th October to the total amount of $1084.97 after I upgraded my iPhone to iOs 5.0 and joined iCloud.
Someone bought plenty of items for about $59.97 each. Someone who signed themselves from Luxemborg.
I have informed iTunes etc., but what can we do to catch the b*****d.

My account got hacked, i need help!

This exact same thing happend to me I had $100 worth of gift card balance and someone purchased a $100 app and I dOnt have it on my Mac or my iPod!! How do I get my mOney back?!

I was just hacked mid day. I got email that my password and billing info was changed. But I checked my address is still the same. Then at 3pm they bought some app that’s $14.99 that’s in foreign Asian character. It sucks because I had a $15 in there from my birthday and have not bought anything. I emailed iTunes about it, it’s foolishness. I’m hoping to get my money back. I hope nothing else is hacked

Same problem: my account, different credit card. Haven’t used iTunes or even my Apple ID in years.

Ryan (published 5/25/2011),

I have exactly the same problem! Do you have any updates? I am afraid of identity theft.

I got similar charges two days back. Luckily my bank tracked it and alerted me. They told me to contact the 8667127753 number which point to http://www.apple.com/support/cc and it doesn’t help. I have written to apple through http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/contact.html. I hope they do something about this.

One would think Apple should be able to do something about this. FBI should be able to get to who owns 8667127753. These criminals need to put in jail.

LITTLE DIFFERENT SCENARIO***Hoping for some help–I had someone hack my account and charge 36 dollars; however, I had $60 worth of gift card money left to my account. So they used up my gift card money and my bank has no way of helping in this situation. Does anyone have a contact number I could try out with apple? I am assuming that money is long gone and will never be recovered.

Frank says on:
31 May 2011 at 11:21 pm
So my wife’s itunes account was hacked a month ago, same deal: two $50 gift certificates, password was referenced in the purchase, and the address as well as the credit card were not hers.
The reason I’m posting this now is because she’s had to do the password reset on the account again, because Apple blocked the account, as though someone was trying to hack it again (multiple failed password attempts not made by her)…
And, perhaps more strangely, when we changed her address after the first hack, to represent our recent move to another state, it was to an address that sounds like what “Alec” just posted! Cedar Brook Lane!

Frank,

Same thing happened to me where a $50 GC was purchased with a different credit card number and partial wrong address on my itunes account. My password was also referenced in the purchase, like it was a glitch or the hacker is taunting. The Itunes staff will not trace the credit card used and alert the bank to the fraudulent charges, so someone is getting charged $50. I can’t dispute it with my bank because it isn’t my card. Apple isn’t helpful with this. I’ve since changed all of my login info including email.

Maybe Apple has woken up to the fact either their database is haywire or there is frequent fraud going on. In the 3rd week of May 2011 I went through a whole rigamarole with purchases being made against my iTunes gift card credit, which they eventually refunded, after disabling my account, etc. The purchases had essentially emptied a $50 credit to near 0. The games in question were downloaded to my PC. I certainly never ordered or purchased them.

They believed me when I said I never purchase Sega games, but called this refund a “one-time” thing–not very reassuring. I’ve increased my security as suggested by iTunes.

My personal suspicions fall on Apple staff. I’m no techie, but I thought someone on the inside could be tapping into the customer database (e.g., for customers like me with a credit) and somehow gaining access to the files they’ve bought using others’ accounts. But maybe I’m offbase and other suggestions above are more realistic. THANKS.

Got the shock I didn’t need the other day checking my email. Itunes invoices to the tune of $465…..I only had a $20 gift card loaded to by angry birds and some other $2 games. CC cancelled and a transaction dispute will be filled with my provider. I was skeptical before I bought the Ipod and I have been proven right. Never liked Apple anyway. Lot of people say it’s the end user but methinks there’s more to it.
lot’s of of loopholes etc, thanks Apple. I’ll spread the good word.