Fake Apple Pay charge texts and calls from fake Apple Support are after your codes and money. Apple Pay itself has not been hacked.
Scammers are using the Apple Pay name to get your codes, logins and money. They send a text saying a large Apple Pay charge was blocked or needs confirming, or they call and pose as Apple Support. Apple Pay itself is not hacked. The trick is to get you to hand over what protects your account.
The usual text names a specific amount so you panic, sets a short deadline, and gives a link or phone number. The link leads to a page that copies Apple's look but is not on apple.com. It may ask for your Apple Account login, card details or a photo of an ID.
In a second version, a fake agent tries to log in to your Apple Account or add your card to their own device. Apple then sends you a real code. The scammer says reading it out will cancel the charge. In fact it lets them in.
Apple says it does not store your original card numbers. Your bank issues a device specific number, kept in a certified chip in the phone. Paying also requires Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode. A number copied at a till is of little use to a thief, so scammers go after the person instead. If you read out a code, those protections cannot help.
Anyone with an iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad or Mac that uses Apple Pay. The texts can also reach any phone, including Android, so you do not need Apple Pay to be targeted. Older relatives are worth a quick warning.
Apple says it never asks for passwords, verification codes or two-factor codes. A bank also never asks you to move money to a safe account. Gift cards, remote support apps and switching off security features at a caller's request are all red flags.
The alert box above has the steps, including what to do if you already answered. To report a scam text, use Report Junk in Messages and forward it to reportphishing@apple.com.
Details are still limited. The reporting Dashline reviewed shows no confirmed reports from affected users yet, and it did not test any scam link or number. The pattern is also not one campaign. Many senders use many numbers and addresses, so there is no single address to block.
Check any Apple Pay charge only in Wallet or your bank app, and never read a code to someone who contacted you first.
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