Unfortunately my (elder) dad fell for a scam ad on Facebook (despite my warnings and me trying to block ads on his iPhone). An app that claims to check the heart rate charged him USD $39.99 via Apple Pay, 3 days after he installed the app.
We live in Europe, so it’s super weird that he got charged in USD instead of EUR (which is normally used for all App Store purchases/subscriptions). Additionally, this transaction is only visible in his Wallet history. In the App Store we see that he installed the (free) app, but there are no subscriptions or purchases at all.
My guess is that he somehow approved something using Face ID, but I don’t know what. I hope it is a one-time payment and not a subscription, but since there is no info in the App Store I’m blank here…
Unfortunately Apple Pay deducted the $39.99 from his regular bank account; not from his credit card, so I’m not sure we can get a refund.
Any tips on how to investigate/stop/refund this are very welcome!
Seems to me either a subscription or one time purchase outside App Store. Try to stop it through your bank, not sure if that’s possible when using debit cards.
First get the bank to stop any further payments to that payee. That’ll remove any subscription risk.
It looks as if the app has taken a payment outside the App Store which is not normally permitted (I know EU regulators have pushed Apple into allowing alternative payment platforms but this doesn’t look legit).
Report the app and the issue to Apple. No idea what reaction you’ll get.
Contact your bank and see if they’ll consider refunding the payment - maybe, maybe not.
My dad contacted the bank, but they say there’s nothing they can do, because according to them he approved a payment (with a 3 day trial) when he opened the app for the first time.
I’m still baffled by how the payment is made in USD and does not show up in any app related purchase history; only in the Wallet app. Seems like circumventing the App Store indeed! I also still don’t know whether this was a one-time payment or a subscription.
I’m afraid the only way to investigate this further is installing and starting this app on my own iPhone. I plan to temporarily disable Face ID for payments and put my phone in Flight Mode before starting this app.
I would still contact Apple. If it shows up in the subscription tab you should be able to ask for a refund. If after all that you know to do, I would wipe the phone and reinstall everything. Also, ask Apple Pay for a new CC/debit number.
I did report the app (as scam/fraud and violating App Store Guideline 3.1), but that’s not going to help my dad:
Your report has been submitted. Apple will review it and use your feedback to help improve our services. You will not receive a reply.
I did also install the App on my iPhone. In the App Store it (today) lists one single IAP: €8,99/week (I’m pretty sure there were more options and more expensive ones when my dad informed me about what happened). In the app itself it lists a 3 day free trial and then “7.99/week” (no currency!). Of course I did not start that.
I’m afraid they constantly change IAP’s, making it very hard to figure out whether my dad is now bound to a subscription and with which frequency (once again: this purchase does not show up in the App Store Purchase History; only in the history in the Wallet App).
There are multiple App Store reviews from people complaining about this scam.
His bank is not cooperative. Apparently he has some kind of cyber insurance, but they are not cooperative either. They all claim that he approved the purchase, so they won’t do anything.
Is there another way to contact Apple that might be more successful than reporting an app?
Don’t report them for a policy violation. Get on the phone with Apple’s customer service and let them know what’s going on. They may or may not be able to do something - but they’d be the ones that would know.