Apple looking into complaints of fraudulent iTunes charges

Singapore

SEVERAL Apple customers have complained of fraudulent purchases made on their iTunes accounts, causing deductions of up to thousands of dollars.

An Apple spokesman, responding to queries on Sunday, would not comment on the extent of the problem but said the company is looking into the matter.

Channel NewsAsia first reported on Sunday that "dozens" were affected, including those at OCBC Bank.

Chen Yi Ling, 25, who works in communications, told The Straits Times she had over S$4,400 deducted in 27 transactions of S$163.43 from her DBS account on July 11. "I had just got off work to see a movie, and got a message from DBS saying that my card had been blocked," she said.

DBS refunded 20 of the 27 transactions for Ms Chen on Thursday.

In a Facebook comment, user Patricia Choy said she had more than S$7,000 taken from her DBS account in 45 transactions of S$160.57 each.

A DBS spokesman said customers reporting unauthorised iTunes transactions will receive temporary credit while the bank conducts investigations. "We also constantly monitor credit/debit card transactions in real time for any suspicious activities ... we urge customers to call us immediately at 1800-111-1111 if they notice suspicious or unusual activity in their accounts."

The problem appears to have also hit customers of other banks in Singapore, including Maybank and Standard Chartered, according to readers' feedback. IT consultant Roy Chow, 37, said S$1,049.84 in his Maybank account had been deducted over multiple transactions before he received a notification that his card was blocked. Lai Bee Lan, 43, said she had S$478.42 deducted from her Standard Chartered account in three transactions on Tuesday.

The Apple spokesman said customers can report problems with their iTunes purchases at support.apple.com/en-sg/HT204084