APL*ITUNES 866-712-7753 on your bank statement? YOU HAVE BEEN SCAMMED.

[Update 17Jan2018] - Wow. To think that 8 years later, this scam is still going on as I'm still getting the odd notifications every now and then with comments on this post. TLDR: If you guys stumble upon this random site because of the APL*ITUNES 866-71-2-7753 charge on your credit/debit card, call your bank immediately and report it as a fraud. 

If you have an iTunes account and have any bank cards associated with it, you might wanna beware. I normally check my bank accounts every now and then just to be sure that there's nothing fishy going on in there and of course at the same time, just like many of you *secretly* hoping that someone might accidentally transfer $1 million to my account as well. I've had a few cases of credit card frauds happening and so far, banks have been very cooperative with disputing transactions and issuing me a new card (especially my local bank, SCB Brunei. Well done!).
So today, i checked one of my overseas bank account and found out that i've been charged over USD $200 for some random iTunes purchases. Initially, i thought maybe iTunes have accidentally charged me for some of the stuffs i've been downloading but upon cross referencing with my iTunes receipt, there are discrepancies with the dates and the amount because they're all...free. Well, i am Asian by blood so i don't really like to spend money of something that intangible. That's like throwing away money for me. :P
My most recent iTunes "purchases"

I don't think i will spend $10 on a CD that i personally cannot feel/touch unless the music industry decided to go completely digital. My first reaction upon seeing my bank records was to report this immediately to the bank but due to time differences, i have to wait till 9 am local time to get in touch with a representative. Meanwhile, what i did next was to...well, google. After reading a few articles posted online, it seems that there have been numerous reports of the same fraud cases that i'm currently facing. Some were even more unlucky where they've been charged over $1000! And of course, there's heated argument on who's side is to be blamed. If you read more on the comments, majority of them are pointing fingers at Apple cause they are not taking any responsibilities about it. As much as i want to hop in the anti-Apple bandwagon, it is hard to put the blame on them because this logically speaking, it has nothing to do with them...at least in my case.

Something's shady going on around here...

If in the event that my iTunes account have been hacked and there has been stuffs downloaded, then sure i'll blame Apple for this. Since my account preferred method of payment is linked to Paypal, i've also checked my Paypal account to check if there has been any transactions made through it and fortunately, there wasn't. So this pretty much leads back to only one way of how this can be done. The fraudster somehow got my credit card details. This of course is unavoidable especially when almost everything now has to be done online so chances are he might have picked up my card details and possibly yours online especially if you enjoy doing e-shopping. I did however, discover one thing about Apple in the midst of all this little 'investigation'. For a company that is really known worldwide, it is relatively confusing to find any link to report this matter or even a direct number specifically for this issue. Majority of the links and numbers are either for Apple technical issues, software helps, warranty stuffs but nothing on frauds or customer service.

This pretty much triggered all the anger for some of Apple unhappy customers whose iTunes unfortunately have been hacked. Majority of them complained that Apple are not giving much crap about them and asked them to sort it out with their banks or with Paypal. I personally think Apple should increase security measure with their iTunes especially when cases like these can't exactly be tracked. For now, i just gotta wait till i speak with my bank to see what can be done to resolve. If they reject my claim to dispute the transaction then...i might try my luck in email good ol' Stevey!

"We're not perfect."
Hmm...maybe if those who are affected by this start some petition and file complaints to him, his next conference he might just open up with another smart quote...



Mehehehe...

But on a serious note, i do advise if you guys have credit card, try not to save any information online. If you use iTunes as well, set the payment method to none. It may be tedious whenever you want to make a purchase but hey, it's definitely so much more tedious going through the process of filing a dispute claim and dealing with all the banking procedures.

Comments

ryan said…
so how do we contact apple to get this fixed? i have a charge i didnt make...
kangta164 said…
I called up my bank and asked them to file a dispute. I got my money back. That's the only way it can be done i think. Don't think Apple has anything to do with this since the scammers are just using iTunes to confuse the banks.
Anonymous said…
Try using Google, "iTunes Support Email". The link is here:

http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/contact.html
bob101910 said…
Saw that phone number on my online banking checking account.

It is only for $1 and isn't until 2 more days. Should I be worried?
Anonymous said…
Thanks for making me proactive!
Request Letter for a Bank Statement
Deanna said…
As Kangta mentions, this isn't iTunes fault - at least not in my case. We were charged by 'iTunes' on a card that is NOT in Apple's database. We also had another fraudulent charge from the 'Society of Actuaries' on our statement. I just called my bank to file a claim and canceled the card.
redbaron057 said…
Thanks for this posting. We used one of our unused credit cards for traveling through Europe for a month. We had three "APL*APPLE ITUNES STORE 866-712-7753 CA " charges for under a few dollars after we returned. We don't have any Itunes account, so big red flag. Wells Fargo refunded the charges and recommended to close the account, stating that frequently people run a stolen card # a few times for little amounts to see if it will work, then they'll go for a shopping spree... Glad we caught it beforehand.
Anonymous said…
Hey man, thanks for the post, I got charge $149 two times. This helped in me getting my card canceled and a refund.
has anyone found an address that goes with this number? if so, post it, so others can report it to the BBB out in CA. thats what the BBB in MN told me to try and do.
Chris W said…
i got charged $1940.14 from this number. got ahold of the bank, filed a fraud report, and a police report. this is uncalled for, and frankly unacceptable. i not only blame "whoever" has been doing this, [its not the first time, obviously](http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-866-712-7753), but i blame Apple too for not boosting their online security. for a company as dominent at they are, i hope they're investigating this matter.
Tim said…
Please note this has nothing to do with Apple or iTunes. I have NEVER had an iTunes account, NEVER purchased anything from iTunes or the Apple store, in fact have never purchased an Apple product or service. Yet I just got a $49.95 charge on my Chase credit card from this same scam. Chase blocked it as suspicious activity and reported it to me.
Anonymous said…
just so everyone knows, this is to a porn site called Kink.com
make sure a partner or friend didnt use your card prior to calling the bank. may save you some embarrasment.
Anonymous said…
I'd like to confirm what a few others have said and refute what the majority have said, this has nothing to do with Apple/iTunes. I do not now nor have I ever had an Apple/iTunes account nor do I now nor have I ever owned an Apple product. iTunes is not installed on any computer in my household.

Yet, APL* ITUNES.COM/BILL 866-712-7753 CA charged my credit card $0.99 over a month ago and after disputing that and speaking to an agent I received a credit and was advised I did not need to change my account number. Last night at midnight I received a Fraud Warning email showing APL* ITUNES.COM/BILL 866-712-7753 CA charged the same card $99.99. I called the credit card fraud department number provided immediately and was told my card would now be changed and a new one issued and the charges reversed after investigation.

It boggles the mind that these is so much disinformation and so little information about this scam considering the date of my post, April 22, 2016, and the date this article was written, September 30, 2010.
Anonymous said…
November of 2016 and this is still happening! Just got charged yesterday and today, 3 transactions charging me like $17 in total. I called my bank to file a dispute and they have already canceled my card and are sending me a new one.
Anonymous said…
I just got off the phone with Wells Fargo- I also got charged for a total of $17. They said the would refund the money and block the account.
hollywood835 said…
Yes its a test to see if you have then boom they hit you for more!
Anonymous said…
Today is September 30, 2017 and this mess with iTunes is continuing. They charge me $0.99 each month and I did not pay attention on it until I closed my credit card which I used to pay and got note from bank about this payment. Thanks to this Blog I realized that it is just Fraud!! Thanks!!
Anonymous said…
10/23/17 and this happened to me, APL* ITUNES.COM/BILL charge for $19.99 then another $30 WHILE I WAS ON THE PHONE WITH CHASE! They closed my account and they are sending me a new card.
Unknown said…
Hi Team,
I am parmeshwar sain HP I am the card holder ending digit 8889. This company make false payment by five times by my card was on same day 4/11/2017 of Rs.800, Rs.1600 Rs.1600. It am very shocked to see this that's why today I blocked my card. Please check this type of matter immediately. Please refund the money as soon as possible. Thanks for the advance support.
Anonymous said…
Fast forward to December 2017, the hackers are still at it! I got four charges from APL*APPLE ITUNES STORE 866-712-7753 CA and I called the number and it sounded so official. But then you call apple and they see NO CHARGES. CANCEL YOUR CARD, report the fraud, start checking your credit card bills EVERY MONTH. Even if you don't have an itunes account (LIKE ME) THEY still will get you.
Anonymous said…
Well January 2018 the fuckers are still at it hit me for 6 separate 100 dollar charges. I wish they would get a real Job I got kids to feed!!!!
Unknown said…
2018 and I have to Cancel and replace my card Twice in less than Two weeks.
Guess nothing is being done to this date to stop this pest!
Unknown said…
Jan 31, 2018. Just happened to me. $17.78 cents. Got a notification from my bank about a purchase made online with my debit card. ITUNES.COM/BILL 866 712 7753. Bank said I have to wait until to see if the charges are “processed” to file a claim. So I deactivated my card and a new one will be here in 4-6 days. This is some BULLSHIT. I never use my card on sketchy sites and never save my info online. I realize I trust companies like Apple, Amazon, etc. with my card info but why the hell does this scam continue to happen????
Anonymous said…
April 6, 2018 same thing still happening. One charge for $49.99 and one for $.96. My bank fraud dept. called me to tell me of suspicious activity on my card. The fraudsters actually tried to charge the exact same two charges to my account again but my bank deactivated my card. So now I am waiting for my new bank card to arrive. I also, have to contact my bank's customer service to get the charges that went through off my card. I do not have an iTunes account so I don't know how they got my info.
Unknown said…
April 10, 2018. They're still at it. I got a charge for $16.45 and locked my card immediately. I'm a college student and the only one who uses my bank card is me. And I don't have an iTunes account or even an Apple product so I knew it was fraudulent. They phish information all around the Internet so the only way to stay safe from these people is to never make an online purchase. Thankfully, this was my card for online only so they wouldn't be able to steal much from me. They only got me because I had some refunds processing and they happened to charge my card when I received them. Otherwise, it wouldn't have happened. I only put just enough money on the card to cover any purchases I make. Otherwise, the balance is always zero.
Anonymous said…
So, I don't even have any type of apple account and yesterday,I see about 6 charges from apple with this phone number for about $150 in charges.
So, just noticed a charge came out of my account for
$27.86 labeled with the famous description, "APL* ITUNES.COM/BILL 866-712-7753 CA XXXXXXXXXXXX####"

I went to my iTunes subscriptions and I have pending purchases. One being a movie I purchased from iTunes a week and a half ago for $21.44 and an app for $6.42 totaling $27.86. I checked my bank account transactions from a week and a half ago and did not see the movie charge come out of my account yet. So, this makes me think that this is not a scam seeing as the total amount of $27.86 if the exact amount for the movie and app together.

I did check my bank account for my monthly subscriptions that I know that I am paying for and they are labeled, "APL* ITUNES.COM/BILL." This makes me think that the charge for $27.86 should have been labeled the same way, WITHOUT the 866 number that everyone is reporting as a scam number.

When I Google the 866-712-7753 CA number every post I see refers to this as being a scam. I don't know if I am being hacked or not.

Any suggestions, comments, or advice other than obviously calling the bank.
Anonymous said…
June 2018 and a little interesting thought.

8 charges total on a bill that was received slated for my grandfather that were charged in April or May.

Funny thing, my grandfather passed away Jan 2017 so over a year ago. He didn’t have an iTunes account, and he didn’t do online shopping with this card. Considering these charges started a month ago, and he has been gone for a year and a half, this has to be a credit card account leak from the credit card company itself. I don’t know how else this would have happened. It was on a Best Buy citi card.
Anonymous said…
This happened to me on June 5, 2018. A $12.99 charge from APL* ITUNES.COM/BILL 866-712-7753 CA. I do have an iTunes account but I don't have have a credit card on file.
Anonymous said…
I have had this happen twice in the last two weeks. Each time I called my bank and they cancelled by Visa card. They start out small with the Apple .99 charge and then went to Nintendo for $65 charges. I do not have a credit card associated with my iTunes account, only paypal. I'm not sure how they are getting my numbers but I wish they would stop it! It's a major pain to keep calling the bank.
Anonymous said…
I have been a victim of this too, best way to deal with it is contact your bank to dispute the transaction and cancel that card get a new one.
Anonymous said…
My bank denied the charge and closed my account. They than called me. Thank you Chase for catching this. It is a total incomvience asI was traveling when this occurred. This should be stopped by the authorities but probably not worth their time. I’m sure they could be found with today’s technology. This information should be shared to all.
Unknown said…
Its true there is nothing you can do except hope the bank refunds your money. I talked to one "onlinedate" who I asked if she was honest to me I would send a card..She said yes it has nothing to do with iTunes or Apple but has everything to do with the cards numbers for cash at WALMART. The idea is to have an income that is not traceable or taxable..done from the luxury of the home and combines work and play at the same time...nice huh..unfortunately I am both honest and a male.
Timilehin said…
This real life just happened to me right now i called chase and they sending a new card for me in the mail but its been 8 years and this is still going on
Anonymous said…
10/22/18 Just found 3 separate charges from the same people S DEBIT APL* ITUNES.COM/BILL 866-712-7753 CA. Coincidentally the 1st charge happened when I received a message from Chase to verify the "Wallet" application and apple pay, which I ignored. However, now I am wondering why I got that message and ..is it me? or a lot of the people here seem to be Chase members?. Anyway, I checked the Wallet app and my card was listed and the Apple Pay Cash was on even though the card wasn't verified so I went ahead and turn the app off just in case. Called Chase and they are sending a new card and reimbursing my money.
Anonymous said…
It's November 24th,2018. I just told my mom that she's been charged $14.99 for the past two years due to this scam. It's so freaking sad that this is still happening. Even worse when she tried to call to cancel, she called the number listed on her bank statement (800-275-2273) and they lied and told her they were with Apple. She was then told she was a victim of identity theft and they would be able to help her and her husband with identity security on her phone and computers if she paid around $300. They took advantage of her with the monthly $14.99 a month, then the $300, and then they started charging her another fee with the # number referenced in this blog (866-712-7753). Sucks since my mom owns a restaurant and has money going in an out all the time. She doesn't have time to check her statements.

Next steps I told her to do is to go to her local bank branch (better to present in person since it's been happening for years), dispute the fraudulent charges to try to recoup the money that was stolen, cancel the card, and have her start checking her statements monthly for anything suspicious.

Pro tip: Never call the number listed on your credit card statement unless you confirm that it's valid. If she knew to check, she wouldn't have gotten scammed further :(
Anonymous said…
November 27th 2018...just happened to me...€230 from my account. Cant believe nothing is being done about this....
Anonymous said…
Help! I have a charge for this on my paypal.. for $15. I didnt buy anything and have no idea how they got my info. I dont have paypal on my ipad or connected to it. Only my android phone. What can I do??
Anonymous said…
$15 on November 28th 2018. I tried canceling it on paypal with no luck. However paypal is only on my android not ipad.. so I'm confused how this happened. Ughh
Anonymous said…
11/29/2018 This just happened to me as well. I was charged 43.69 eight times! Now I’m going back and forth with Apple and my bank to get this issue resolved and my money back! It’s very frustrating when SOME Apple advisors lacks empathy and understanding!
Anonymous said…
i had a legitmate recurring charge for 7.55 from itunes, and the last 2 months getting charges AP*ITUNES.COM for the 866-712-7753 number. One fraud charge is for 5.57 like they are mocking the legitmate charge. Overall about
$50 over 2 months. Apple kept me on hold a long time but finding no apple charges corresponding to these items confirmed it was fraudlent, and then i called Chase who were prompt in removing these , and are sending new card. Dang russians.
Anonymous said…
Scam is still going strong. Contact your bank, dispute the charges. I got hit for 127 USD, all my charges were reversed.
Unknown said…
I got scammed today March 29 2019 from APL*APPLE ON 800-676-2775 and I was like where tf is this charge comes from? I had to call the bank, and even Apple to report the suspension random charges in my account and cancel to order a new card. I hope i will be refunded back that $82 dollars since it is still in pending transaction so I have to wait. I’m a young broke college student and is heartless for these scammers to do this to me or anyone else. They should get a job! 😤😑
Anonymous said…
03/30/2019
I checked my credit card statement prior to making a payment and noticed iTune changes that didn't seem accurate. I googled the phone number listed on the statement and found this thread. I immediately called USBank and went through my order history with their rep, she is reversing the fraudulent charges and cancelled my credit card.
Kayla Renee said…
As of 04/03/2019 it is still happening. I was hit up for 1.99 charges twice before I thought to call the number listed on my bank account and got some wack a$$ fake number recording. Trust, if it was Apple you would have had to click 8 buttons by then. I googled it to find that this is some old ass scam from a BoFA breech back in 2011. Close the account and begin anew. Glad I caught it before my paycheck hit.
Anonymous said…
I just got scammed as well by this fraud. I think it started from when I clicked on a fraudulent e-mail that looked like it was from Apple iTunes. It was for a receipt for an app that I never purchased. I clicked on the link in the e-mail that led me to my purchase history. I think that's when the hacker got a hold of my credit card info. I looked at my credit card history and sure enough on 4/1/19, I got a recurring charge of $12.78 from APL*ITUNES.COM/BILL with the phone number (866) 712-7753 on the details section. Called the number and got some BS recording that led me pretty much nowhere. Currently filed a dispute with my CC company and waiting for my new cards to arrive. Good thing I check every transaction every month, otherwise the scammer could've continued charging my account until I noticed.
Anonymous said…
I checked my bank account and ITUNES.COM/BILL, 866-712-7753, CA 95014 0000 US charged me $9.99. Funny thing is l just got a
new debit card and I didn’t link my new debit card with iTunes nor have I ever did. I downloaded an app but it was free.
So I wonder how did I got fraud?! Maybe whoever created the app?? I called my bank and they said they’ll investigate it.
I advise whoever that been fraud contact their bank right away.
Anonymous said…
I just realized I've been getting hit with charges for so many months!! The only thing that brought this to light for me was randomly logging in to my acct and seeing a very suspicious charge of $203 from... guess who?? Apl iTunes com bill 866 712 7753 ca!!!
Anonymous said…
18Apr19

I have just noticed there was a $9.99 charge with Apple iTunes, which I have not had in over 7 years. I did see multiple charges made. I have contacted my bank (Golden !) and they are filing a dispute and I should have a refund soon enough. They also told me to go into a branch to get a new printed debit card. I will say that they can only go back 90 days for the dispute,and this scam has done this longer, and not on a regular schedule. So, I am only getting the $9.99 back vs the $50.00 Oh well.

These scams are slick. I don't blame Apple at all, I can't. I don't even have an account for them to check out.
Anonymous said…
will I am concerned to use iTunes then I will not used.
May 10, 2019
This just happened to my husband. I searched the phone number associated with the charge and followed it here. I cannot believe this scam has been going on this long and no authority has done anything about it. That makes me wonder who is behind it all, Apple, Google phone companies. Seriously how can someone get away with this for so long if they are just a small time business, criminal or whatever you want to call them. I think they read all these comments and have a good laugh at us all while counting our money in their pockets. Stay safe peeps, as safe as you can possibly be.
Chuck said…
Contrary to some of the comments here, it must be itunes related. We changed the billing card number on my wife's itunes account from her old card to my current one. Almost instantly there was a charge on my card for $15.98 with the itunes.com/bill and the phone number everyone is talking about. The charge must have been sitting there waiting for a valid account to hit. Now I'm going to cancel my card and start over just to play it safe since there is no consistent information on where this is coming from.
Anonymous said…
I'm pretty sure if you received "APL*ITUNES 866-712-7753", it's not always a scam.

I saw this charge and was at first concerned. However, after a little investigation I realized that I had purchased a couple of 3rd party Sonos apps which were charged on my bank statement as "APL*ITUNES 866-712-7753". This might be a number given out by apple for iphone apps.
sophia said…
i was charged 1.06 and then 21.42. i contacted apple and my card issuer. they filed a dispute and i’m getting my money back but i don’t know what to do after that. i might need to change my card? this shit shouldn’t happen.
Vegasephus said…
This scam got my card for over 1100 with numerous 99.99 charges over 2 months. How on earth is this merchant account still active after 9 yrs+ of fraud!!! It's unbelievable. Not Apples fault it's all the banks who continue to let an obviously fraudulent account operate. Somebody somewhere has made million off this for close to a decade.
Anonymous said…
8/2019 Found a charge on my new bank card for 10.88. Wells Fargo cancelled my card and is sending another. I do not use Apple anything, including iTunes.
Anonymous said…
These are NOT necessarily scam charges. I checked my purchase history, and all the charges I see for APL*ITUNES.COM with that phone number are valid. A combination of monthly and yearly charges for subscription services (iTunes Match, Apple TV, and the like).

If you have an iTunes account, then check your purchase history (Account > View my account...) before freaking out.
Anonymous said…
Yup. In Sep 2019, I'm getting it (APL*ITUNES 866-71-2-7753), too. However, the weirdest thing is: I got charged several times in Sep and got credit back with the same amount several days later. Although I did not lose any money, it's still a nuisance to have my RBC Rewards Visa card cancelled.
Anonymous said…
I own and operate a website that has a toll free number 1-866-77** (NOT 53 and not really close). My website has nothing to do with I-tunes, porn, scams or anything close. At least twice a week forever people call us thinking we are that 866-712-7753 number that is on their statement. How that many people can make the same mistake is beyond me but they do. They get downright rude with me when I had absolutely nothing to do with any of this! If you were one of those people an apology would be nice!
Anonymous said…
Anonymous said…
Anonymous said…
Anonymous said…
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Anonymous said…
I've had several different debit and credit cards charged to this scam. Finally removed the last card number from my payment information and shut down my apple music account. However, my son's debit card has been also compromised by this same scammer phone number and his is a brand new debit card! After he activated it, those charges showed up a few days later. The only thing he's done online since the new card was activated was pay somebody through Facebook. That's the only thing I can think of that had it get compromised. What's really irritating and absolutely unbelievable is I've seen comments about this fraud phone number (866-712-7753) going back 10 years!!! And nobody's done anything about it?!?@!
Anonymous said…
The hacker is in this thread and is telling us it is Wal-Mart orientented. Who here is using or has used a Wal-Mart phone plan?
Anonymous said…
I got a scam few days after I got pay pay on my iphone
Unknown said…
March 2020 - still happening.
Anonymous said…
HOLD ON A SECOND, EVERYONE!

DON'T PANIC!

This line can appear on your credit card due to a LEGITIMATE iTunes purchase -- e.g., a magazine or newspaper subscription or automatic renewal via iTunes.

Log on to your iTunes account and look for recent purchases; you may well see one that you forgot about!
GML said…
Yes it’s true. This number shows up on purchases I did make. It’s not a fraud
Anonymous said…
April 2020

I got hit with 8 charges in 4 days totaling over $400. I called Apple support and they were able to track them down and said they’d refund me. What’s strange is that there’s no purchases on my Apple account yet the CSR was able to locate them. She told me they’d take care of it and no need to call my bank.

I need to note that I did purchase some ebooks the previous week back direct from Apple Books legitimately. The transactions from the legit purchases, and those from the other fraudulent charges, looked identical on my bank statement, word for word, down to that phone number.

So while there is definitely something wrong, what is being listed for the fraudulent charges is the same thing being used for authorized charges.
Anonymous said…
June 15th 2020...
I like what I see many people on here have Chase my suspicions are being aroused as they're so many customers from Chase I to do not have an I tunes account but in being charged like the rest it's highly suspicious
Anonymous said…
July 2, 2020 still happening ppl. Had to close my bank card. Call your bank immediately if you see that number. It is NOT a legitimate number or charge. Luckily I caught it before it cleared!
Anonymous said…
I do not have Itunes at all or anything apple related but I still get these transactions so I think it's more widespread than just Itunes but I also get something like this instead "APPLE.COM/BILL— 866-712-7753" but its pretty much as the same as everyone has been getting

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