People on Ebay are selling itunes gift cards for %40 off?

[gregdrummeraz]

How do they sale so cheap?


they get positive feedback from everyone. I am thinking about buying a couple
$200 cards for $110 each.

Has anyone done this? :)

[Schtumple]

The seller probably gets just the codes from an inside source at apple, who then sells a big list of codes to the seller for a fraction of what they're selling them for.

[northy124]

I once bought two ($50) and it didn't work so I asked for a refund but the seller sent me 4 more codes (All worth $50 & all worked) to try out, So I'm guessing they are either getting them illegally or and a very cheap price.

I got an extra $100:D

[Gray-Wolf]

To sell them that cheap, they are stolen, or falsified. Apple doesn't cut prices that much. I would not trust them or the sellers.

If they are sending the "Codes" and not the cards, it is illegal, and they have hacked/stolen them.

[gregdrummeraz]

What would happen if I bought some and sold them?

[aethelbert]

What would happen if I bought some and sold them?
You'd lose a couple bucks then keep on living your life.

[lexus]

I think it is likely they are real and that Apple does cut prices so much. An extremely large percentage of all gift cards go unsold so essentially Apple is selling a product and there is a possibility they will deliver so the cheaper the cards the more people buy them and the less use them.

[gregdrummeraz]

You'd lose a couple bucks then keep on living your life.

But I can get them for 50 bucks? They sale for 140?

I think it is likely they are real and that Apple does cut prices so much. An extremely large percentage of all gift cards go unsold so essentially Apple is selling a product and there is a possibility they will deliver so the cheaper the cards the more people buy them and the less use them.

I know huh, It's not like Apple will loose money on selling cards so cheap. :rolleyes:

[EricNau]

I think it is likely they are real and that Apple does cut prices so much. An extremely large percentage of all gift cards go unsold so essentially Apple is selling a product and there is a possibility they will deliver so the cheaper the cards the more people buy them and the less use them.
Gift cards aren't "products" - they're a form of currency. Selling them for less than their predetermined denomination would result in a net loss.

It would be like selling $20 bills for just $10. Plus, no money is lost by not selling the cards, or by carrying a surplus, so there's no need to reduce the price to increase sales.

[lexus]

Gift cards aren't "products" - they're a form of currency. Selling them for less than their predetermined denomination would result in a net loss.

It would be like selling $20 bills for just $10. Plus, no money is lost by not selling the cards, or by carrying a surplus, so there's no need to reduce the price to increase sales.

Let me explain better. Apple sells you a $100 gift card. You give it to your 12 year old cousin who leaves it in a drawer and never uses it meaning Apple never had to "deliver" the product they sold you.

This is one of the reasons why gift cards have expiry dates.

[EricNau]

Let me explain better. Apple sells you a $100 gift card. You give it to your 12 year old cousin who leaves it in a drawer and never uses it meaning Apple never had to "deliver" the product they sold you.
I understand, but that possibility doesn't warrant selling the cards for less than their value (and certainly not 40% off).

This is one of the reasons why gift cards have expiry dates.
Not in California. ;)

[gregdrummeraz]

I understand, but that possibility doesn't warrant selling the cards for less than their value (and certainly not 40% off).


Not in California. ;)

Would I get in legal trouble for selling these though?

[EricNau]

Would I get in legal trouble for selling these though?
You could, yes. There's no way for you to know if these are legitimate codes or not.

[TheMonarch]

The cards have no value until they are sold and activated, so if they were stolen from a store they're useless. Apple does give discounts if you buy cards in bulk though, maybe that's how they got them.

[Gray-Wolf]

"Beware Greeks bearing gifts"

You have no idea if they are legal, and you could be accused of being an accessory or of receiving stolen goods.

[ntrigue]

Costco sells 4-$15 cards for $56.99 and they're not doing time.

[Gray-Wolf]

Costco sells 4-$15 cards for $56.99 and they're not doing time.

That means the store is covering $3.01 of the cost. Far different than 1/2 off :rolleyes:

[calculus]

There is too much cynicism in this world. Apple, out of the goodness of their hearts, make a special range of iTunes gift cards that they give to the poor and homeless. They are then free to sell them on as they please, so it is your duty as an upright citizen to buy the ones you have seen on ebay.

And if you believe that, you'll believe anything...



...oh wait.

[Kilamite]

You have no idea if they are legal, and you could be accused of being an accessory or of receiving stolen goods.

It isn't as if you are buying them in a black market - you are buying them off eBay. You aren't doing anything illegal by buying something off eBay - if it is illegal, then it is eBay's responsibility to act upon that, not prosecute the buyer.

[Mr$Whale]

It isn't as if you are buying them in a black market - you are buying them off eBay. You aren't doing anything illegal by buying something off eBay - if it is illegal, then it is eBay's responsibility to act upon that, not prosecute the buyer.

Receiving stolen property:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Receipt_of_stolen_property
http://www.judiciary.state.nj.us/criminal/charges/theft008.pdf

I know you might not live in New Jersey, but just to further the point. And notice that there doesn't necessarily need to be a dollar amount attached to an item. If you are questioning it this much, then you are obviously unsure of it's legality and thus can be considered knowledgeably receiving stolen goods. And who knows if the cards are real/fake/expired/non working. Maybe they were reported stolen and Apple is now on the look out for the codes, and thus when they're entered into iTunes...bam.

[theMaccer]

How do they sale so cheap?


they get positive feedback from everyone. I am thinking about buying a couple
$200 cards for $110 each.

Has anyone done this? :)

They could be bought by using stolen credit cards. It is happenning a lot on ebay.

[Vulcan]

What's their feedback rating (number wise, not percent)? If he doubled your order, something seems up.

[wvuwhat]

I used to work in retail and we had a gift certificate profit of 35%. A LOT of gift cards/certificates go unused. Why do you think everyone does them? It's an additional cost to get cards from manufacturers, but in the end it results in a gain. With that said, these are probably stolen or from an inside source as others have posted.

[Umbongo]

Some sources also cite that they get them in bulk from companies that get them at a reduced rate for promotional use.

[MattZani]

I Dunno, but they sure seem like good Xmas Presents, if the person doesnt mind no physical card.

[Karpfish]

I bought two gift cards on ebay recently at less than half price. 2 $200 cards@$75 each. I buy a lot of stuff on itunes so it is saving me quite a bit of money. The guy I bought it from had a huge feedback number so I just did it and he emailed me the codes within 5 minutes and they both worked.

[cobaltdragon23]

Sorry to bump the thread but I just found this while googling to make sure I wasn't setting myself up for a problem by selling my iTunes card on Ebay, and thought I would offer an alternative opinion as to why you might find cards listed for prices less than their value (i.e. ostensibly losing money).

Some people use... other methods of adding to their digital music library. Sometimes these people have well-meaning friends and family who either do not realize this, or who are lawyers and therefore do not approve of such activities. Either way, a person may get a gift card to iTunes that is completely useless to them, particularly if they are a student who needs cash.

I, for instance, am about to list a $50 gift card for sale, so I wanted to thank those in the thread above who mentioned that they have had a successful transaction.

[camomac]

this (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=544196) has been brought up before without much resolve.

[techlover828]

thanks for telling me about this! just bought a $100 one for 58 dollars. The first code he sent me didn't work, so he gave me a new one after I sent him a screenshot. The second one didn't work at first either, so I sent him a screenshot of that, and he sent me another one. But while I was waiting for his response, I tried again, and it worked. Then he sent me the third code, and that worked too. $200 in itunes credit for $58. Time to by some apps! (ps: sorry if what I did was immoral, but I'm sure what this guy is doing isn't even legal, so)

[kurzz]

ditto. I just got a $200 itunes code for $60 on Ebay. They emailed me the code and boom. I now have $200 showing in itunes. :p

[hvfsl]

Yes the codes will work at first. But a few months down the line you will see your account has been disabled and all money taken from it.

This is because these cheap iTunes vouchers you often see on ebay are bought using stolen credit cards. So when the credit card companies find out, they take the money back from Apple and Apple then takes the money from your account.

[Warranty Voider]

Yes the codes will work at first. But a few months down the line you will see your account has been disabled and all money taken from it.

This is because these cheap iTunes vouchers you often see on ebay are bought using stolen credit cards. So when the credit card companies find out, they take the money back from Apple and Apple then takes the money from your account.

has this actually happened to anybody?

[techlover828]

Yes the codes will work at first. But a few months down the line you will see your account has been disabled and all money taken from it.

This is because these cheap iTunes vouchers you often see on ebay are bought using stolen credit cards. So when the credit card companies find out, they take the money back from Apple and Apple then takes the money from your account.

I doubt it.

[gkarris]

Yes the codes will work at first. But a few months down the line you will see your account has been disabled and all money taken from it.

This is because these cheap iTunes vouchers you often see on ebay are bought using stolen credit cards. So when the credit card companies find out, they take the money back from Apple and Apple then takes the money from your account.

This is likely the case. I talked with a store manager I buy my music/videos from, and he said that the iTune cards are like cash. To activate it, the money goes from an account to Apple.

The blank itune cards are probably stolen, then they are activated on an account that was stolen as well (whether that be a bank account or credit card account).

I don't think that you will loose your iTunes credit, as the stolen money is insured some how.

Buying these things "cheap" just means you're involved with this fraudulent business.

[Pixellated]

Maybe they work for a supermarket that can activate them, and they steal them and activate them.

[hvfsl]

has this actually happened to anybody?
Yes me. There are other reports if you google around.

The give away to these being dodgy is if they ask you to activate as soon as they send the code.

[nidserz]

Yea I bought 2 cards of $50 for ~$36CAD.
Now I feel bad since this is my first attempt to legally download TV shows, songs, etc. I would buy the gift cards from the store, but hell Canadian iTunes store sucks!
So from now I will just get my cousins or friends in the States to buy me a $50 every month and I give them cash :D

Oh and I just googled and read up some of the reports of stolen credit cards.
That sucks!

[therealdt]

If it sounds...I'm sure they're not 'legal'.

[emt1]

I have bought codes from eBay. Worked fine. They expire though.

[techlover828]

I have bought codes from eBay. Worked fine. They expire though.

how long until they expire? It's going to take a while to spend$200 for me, since I only by apps

[deriko100]

i wouldnt trust them its like saying ill give you my 40 dollars for your 10 dollars

[deriko100]

I bought two gift cards on ebay recently at less than half price. 2 $200 cards@$75 each. I buy a lot of stuff on itunes so it is saving me quite a bit of money. The guy I bought it from had a huge feedback number so I just did it and he emailed me the codes within 5 minutes and they both worked.

could you pm his ebay username? that would be cool. thanks

[northy124]

I have bought codes from eBay. Worked fine. They expire though.
Expire as in how long you have to use the code? or how long the credit lasts? I have credit still in my account since this time last year and nothing has happened so far.

[gregdrummeraz]

Did you buy that credit with these "fraudulent credit card" itunes cards? :eek:..............:cool::p

[anim8or]

Hello all...

I just stumbled across this thread while perusing my morning macrumors!

I haven't read the thread in its entirety yet but it caught my attention as i have a US itunes account, and as im based in the uk frequently buy US iTunes vouchers from ebay and other online stores....

The reason i post is that i just bought $100 for £35 the other day and a couple of days later i received an email from ebay saying that the sellers account had been suspended....

I have already activated the voucher on itunes and have started to spend. Now I had no idea that these cards may or may not have been 'stolen', i use ebay as you quite often find excellent deals such as this on many items, if iTunes or Apple were to suspend my US account based on the fact that an iTunes voucher i purchased was 'stolen' or fraudulent the i would be very disappointed.

These sellers on eBay have no loyalty to iTunes and you can see that they are obviously not spending the vouchers themselves if they are selling them on the web.... Apple shouldn't (and personally i dont think they will) punish the faithful who are actually trying to legally purchase music online from their store.

[iOrlando]

These cards are in no way connected to Apple itself. There isnt a special apple "sale" or whatever. Selling gift cards on ebay is very common. Althought you may think $100 gift card is like $100 of cash, its not. Its worth alot less (until you actually use it in a store). For example, $100 of walmart gift card to me is not worth $100 since I dont go there. Same type of thing with itunes card. The seller is getting this from a third party and selling it at a rate that is still higher then what they paid for it.


Will they always work? Dont know
Is something illegal going on? Dont know

Use at your own risk...

[northy124]

Did you buy that credit with these "fraudulent credit card" itunes cards? :eek:..............:cool::p
Yes I did.

[Gasu E.]

Sorry to bump the thread but I just found this while googling to make sure I wasn't setting myself up for a problem by selling my iTunes card on Ebay, and thought I would offer an alternative opinion as to why you might find cards listed for prices less than their value (i.e. ostensibly losing money).

Some people use... other methods of adding to their digital music library. Sometimes these people have well-meaning friends and family who either do not realize this, or who are lawyers and therefore do not approve of such activities. Either way, a person may get a gift card to iTunes that is completely useless to them, particularly if they are a student who needs cash.

I, for instance, am about to list a $50 gift card for sale, so I wanted to thank those in the thread above who mentioned that they have had a successful transaction.

This scenario makes sense, except obviously you are only going to sell a few cards this way. A bulk seller isn't going to be able to generate high volumes by reselling his unwanted birthday gifts.

[Bosox3]

Yes the codes will work at first. But a few months down the line you will see your account has been disabled and all money taken from it.

This is because these cheap iTunes vouchers you often see on ebay are bought using stolen credit cards. So when the credit card companies find out, they take the money back from Apple and Apple then takes the money from your account.


hahaha I love how some people just make **** up. Stop trying to scare people. That wont happen.

the thing is..nobody knows where they get these cards/codes.
Some may be stolen..some may be gifts they dont want..so they sell to make whatever they can.

[Gasu E.]

For example, $100 of walmart gift card to me is not worth $100 since I dont go there. ...

Here in the US (at least), a $100 store gift card is typically worth $100. You can go into most chain stores and ask for $100 cash for their $100 gift card, and you will get it.

I'm sure this is NOT true for an iTunes card (since retailers must be taking a cut when they sell them). All I'm saying is that store gift cards are fundamentally different from the iTunes card, and they are pretty much like cash.

[ATimson]

Here in the US (at least), a $100 store gift card is typically worth $100. You can go into most chain stores and ask for $100 cash for their $100 gift card, and you will get it.
That depends on the state you live in; that holds true for one or two, but in most of the US you can't get cash back.

[alphaod]

I'm very interested in this. Any one wanna PM some links ;)

[mrblack927]

I just wanted to chime in and say that I worked at a grocery store and know a bit about how the "activation" works.

When you check out, the cashier (me) is required to swipe or manually enter the card number for the itunes card, the system then waits for payment, and WHEN payment is confirmed... the itunes card number gets wirelessly transferred to apple so that it can be updated in their databases as "active". Theres no way for a common store employee to get around this, believe me I've tried.

That being said, there are many systems that use "code activation" to sell digital products (ie. cd keys for games). These systems usually rely on a algorithmic key generator to make "valid" keys and a database of activations to make them "active".

The algorithm for itunes cards has no doubt been cracked by now and made into a keygenerator. After that, all that's needed is a backdoor or loophole in the system to make the keys active. Usually this process will have an imperfect success rate but still good enough to make someone A LOT of money.

That's what these keys most likely are. That's why you here stories of people getting keys for the wrong amounts and/or receiving extra keys even though the seller doesn't seem to care that he has given you way too much. He most likely has a crude speadsheet of keys that he has already processed and just copy/pastes them in emails to send out to buyers.

So yes, these cards are not legitimate, but they not as bad as the "stolen credit card" theories make them out to be. You wont loose your credit if you buy them, apple will simply try to patch the exploit to prevent further scams.

[alphaod]

Then I should buy a few thousand dollars worth of codes ASAP. Should set me up for life of iTMS stuff! (Well unless they close the store, which means they'll have to send me a fat check).

[ATimson]

I just wanted to chime in and say that I worked at a grocery store and know a bit about how the "activation" works.

When you check out, the cashier (me) is required to swipe or manually enter the card number for the itunes card, the system then waits for payment, and WHEN payment is confirmed... the itunes card number gets wirelessly transferred to apple so that it can be updated in their databases as "active". Theres no way for a common store employee to get around this, believe me I've tried.
As a former cashier myself... there is one way around it. Namely, make it so that the card that gets scanned/swiped is not the card that the customer is handed back.

[theBB]

If the seller sells a couple gift cards every now and then at a discount, he could be clean. However, if he is selling a ton of them everyday, they are either purchased through stolen credit cards or as somebody pointed out, they are hacked through a key generator. Either way, it is unethical, immoral and possibly illegal to participate and fund these types of activities. Of course, if you are the type who has no qualms about buying expensive electronic equipment at a fraction of its real price out of a car trunk at some random street corner, you probably don't care about ethics that much anyways...

Does anybody remember the case where feds caught some guys who were involved in cigarette smuggling between states with low and high cigarette taxes in order to fund Hizbullah?

[gregdrummeraz]

So bottom line. If I sale a few of these a week I get at a 30 dollar profit(I get em for 60 a piece on ioffer). Would I get in trouble?

I am a minor, so just really wondering.

[mrkgoo]

thanks for telling me about this! just bought a $100 one for 58 dollars. The first code he sent me didn't work, so he gave me a new one after I sent him a screenshot. The second one didn't work at first either, so I sent him a screenshot of that, and he sent me another one. But while I was waiting for his response, I tried again, and it worked. Then he sent me the third code, and that worked too. $200 in itunes credit for $58. Time to by some apps! (ps: sorry if what I did was immoral, but I'm sure what this guy is doing isn't even legal, so)

Yes it is immoral. If they were doing something illegal, and you KNEW it, you are part of the problem. Besides the only people who are being punished by your actions is Apple.

[techlover828]

Yes it is immoral. If they were doing something illegal, and you KNEW it, you are part of the problem. Besides the only people who are being punished by your actions is Apple.

Well, I don't know what there doing is illegal, I just have a strong suspicion.

BTW: Is there anyway to transfer credit in my account to a different account?

[gregdrummeraz]

Well, I don't know what there doing is illegal, I just have a strong suspicion.

BTW: Is there anyway to transfer credit in my account to a different account?

IDN think so. If there was, Apple would have issues with account frauds.

So, my question remains. Would I get in trouble for selling these?

We do not know if this is illegal, really don't. I would like an actual FACT not opinion on this. :cool:

[theBB]

We do not know if this is illegal, really don't. I would like an actual FACT not opinion on this. :cool:
If you don't care about the ethics of this transaction, it is your conscience, but pretending you don't really know what is going on is a bit lame.

[gregdrummeraz]

If you don't care about the ethics of this transaction, it is your conscience, but pretending you don't really know what is going on is a bit lame.

But would I LEGALLY get in trouble?! :o :D:D:D:D

[techlover828]

But would I LEGALLY get in trouble?! :o :D:D:D:D

no

[gregdrummeraz]

no

I'd like to use one of my life lines Regis: Second Opinion. :p

[tnbig]

Hi, i seen this thread and would like to clear something up...

It is not illegal to sell these itunes cards cheap. I know how it all works (i cant tell you because it would raise competition for me). It has nothing to do with stolen credit cards or some sort of keylogger.

if you've got any questions about it pm me and maybe i could point you in the right direction ;)

[gregdrummeraz]

Hi, i seen this thread and would like to clear something up...

It is not illegal to sell these itunes cards cheap. I know how it all works (i cant tell you because it would raise competition for me). It has nothing to do with stolen credit cards or some sort of keylogger.

if you've got any questions about it pm me and maybe i could point you in the right direction ;)

It says you can't be PM'd. I am hiiiiighly interested in finding this out.

[Stepper]

It says you can't be PM'd. I am hiiiiighly interested in finding this out.

+1

I dont even want to try and make money from it, I just want to know how it works :p

[ethernet76]

Receiving stolen property:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Receipt_of_stolen_property
http://www.judiciary.state.nj.us/criminal/charges/theft008.pdf

I know you might not live in New Jersey, but just to further the point. And notice that there doesn't necessarily need to be a dollar amount attached to an item. If you are questioning it this much, then you are obviously unsure of it's legality and thus can be considered knowledgeably receiving stolen goods. And who knows if the cards are real/fake/expired/non working. Maybe they were reported stolen and Apple is now on the look out for the codes, and thus when they're entered into iTunes...bam.

Not really. No prosecutor in the history of ever would even file charges in this case. They would never to able to reach the burden of proof.

It's one thing to buy a car stereo from a friend. It's another to buy something from a legitimate website.

To be convicted, the receiver must know the goods were stolen at the time he receives them and had the intent to aid the thief.

You would never be able to proof the later. Nor would you be able to prove the first part. Suspicion isn't knowledge. For that matter anything on eBay could have been stolen and we'd see people fearing eBay purchases because police would be arresting people all over the place for receiving stolen property.

[tnbig]

I need 5 posts and to have been on the forums 24 hours before you can pm sorry.

have a look on my public profile and send an email to the address thats there ;)

[techlover828]

hey, check this out: http://forums.ebay.com/db1/thread.jspa?tstart=0&threadID=1000154506&mod=1205274702196&anticache=1223463080369

[iCantwait]

ioffer.com have $200 for $80 ONLY USE PAYPAL

[tnbig]

whatever you do DONT buy from ioffer. There are so many scammers on there.

[Kilamite]

hey, check this out: http://forums.ebay.com/db1/thread.jspa?tstart=0&threadID=1000154506&mod=1205274702196&anticache=1223463080369

Interesting.

Seems there is no way to tell what are legally obtained bulk discounted ones and what are illegal fraudulent ones.

[gregdrummeraz]

Ok, well I don't know If I had previously mentioned this but.


For the past 9 days I have had one off these "fraudulent" gift cards in my itunes credit. I have nought 6 songs and nothing has happened. No itunes contacting me, no credit removal from my account. NOTHING. Its all fine. Though I wonder if I'll ever get any repercussion from apple. I dont know.

[Bosox3]

Ok, well I don't know If I had previously mentioned this but.


For the past 9 days I have had one off these "fraudulent" gift cards in my itunes credit. I have nought 6 songs and nothing has happened. No itunes contacting me, no credit removal from my account. NOTHING. Its all fine. Though I wonder if I'll ever get any repercussion from apple. I dont know.

haha..Nothing is going to happen..I wouldnt even worry about it.

[gregdrummeraz]

haha..Nothing is going to happen..I wouldnt even worry about it.

So its fine if I buy and sell? :cool: :p ;) :D :o :o :o :confused: :) :cool: :o :D :( :p :cool: :cool: :cool:?!?

I know, I'm dumb. But I'd rather be clear then stretched. :D:p

[Bosox3]

So its fine if I buy and sell? :cool: :p ;) :D :o :o :o :confused: :) :cool: :o :D :( :p :cool: :cool: :cool:?!?

I know, I'm dumb. But I'd rather be clear then stretched. :D:p

Selling stolen ones could land you in some trouble...but buying them online from people that you have no clue how they got them...I wouldnt worry about it.

[gregdrummeraz]

Selling stolen ones could land you in some trouble...but buying them online from people that you have no clue how they got them...I wouldnt worry about it.

What if I don't know there stolen?

[dannyboi83]

Do you manage to keep the purchases if they disable your account? Not good if you can't use them when you change computers!!!!

[buffalo]

I bought myself a $200 iTunes card more three years ago. I id some digging and found the original thread (...link iLounge (http://forums.ilounge.com/showthread.php?t=83559&page=5), I'm thenerd). While my credit was fine through the couple years I worked through the credit, I later learned that it looked like stolen credit cards were the source. If you look on page 4, you will see that one person's credit was removed. Purchases were left on the account.

[gregdrummeraz]

I bought myself a $200 iTunes card more three years ago. I id some digging and found the original thread (...link iLounge (http://forums.ilounge.com/showthread.php?t=83559&page=5), I'm thenerd). While my credit was fine through the couple years I worked through the credit, I later learned that it looked like stolen credit cards were the source. If you look on page 4, you will see that one person's credit was removed. Purchases were left on the account.

One person out of how many buyers?!? :o

[buffalo]

One person out of how many buyers?!? :o

I posted that to question the legitimacy of the source of the iTunes credit more than the chances of of the credit being removed. Still, it is a very tempting offer.

[gregdrummeraz]

I posted that to question the legitimacy of the source of the iTunes credit more than the chances of of the credit being removed. Still, it is a very tempting offer.

Yeah, I mean. If you know what your REALLY want at the time weather it be movies or music or whatever, just spend it quick and you won't loose your credit, if thats even a risk.

[lawman1]

I saw these "too good to be true" offers on ebay, and decided to do a little research on it. With some background in electronic crimes and ID theft, I have determined that these have most likely been purchased with stolen credit cards, and are being re-sold on ebay. Notice that almost ALL of the sellers will only send you a code, not a physical card. That is because when they are purchased online with a credit card, they only give a code.

While it is very tempting to purchase these, I would recommend you stay away from them. Do you really want to be involved in purchasing potentially stolen goods? I woudn't want my name showing up in a federal investigation..

[ref26]

I bought a $200 one from ebay for $95 a few months ago. After spending about $90 of it, my itunes account was frozen. After emailing support, they reactivated my account but removed the rest of my credit I contacted the seller and they refunded me my entire purchase price, and I got to keep what I had purchased, so minus a little hassle I ended up a winner. My brother bought a code from the same seller and never had a problem with it, so who knows.

[inkedmonkey]

I ran across this thread while researching iTunes gift card fraud, and felt I needed to share some informtion with all of you, especially those of you who think nothing of purchasing these deeply-discounted cards from online auction sellers because you believe that the seller is buying in bulk or has made a deal with Apple.

This week, over $500 worth of fraudulent iTunes purchases appeared on my bank account. The majority of the transactions were in increments of $50, with a few at $100 and $200. I contacted my bank to dispute the transactions, and they said that it- to state the obvious- that someone stole my debit card number. I had to cancel my card, file complaints, and am still going through the hassle of not only the inconvenience of not having easy access to my bank account, but also of waiting to get my stolen funds refunded.

I contacted Apple, and the customer service representative told me that the person set up a fake account and used my card to purchase online gift cards, which are basically just a code used to add funds to an iTunes account. He said that there's a widespread problem of people doing this and then selling the gift card codes on ebay, usually at a steep discount. He advised me to contact my bank to report the theft, and that Apple would work with them to be sure that I get my money back. Also, he had access to the gift card numbers purchased with my stolen credit card number and said they'd be cancelled.

So, here I am, waiting for my money... my money... to be returned to me while some thief is profiting on ebay.

I hope that all of you continue to purchase these stolen cards will realize that Apple isn't the only one who's harmed by this new form of black market sales. (And just because it's on ebay doesn't make the sale of stolen goods any better or more legitimate than buying it from the guy in the van on the corner. It's still considered receiving/purchasing stolen goods, and it's still illegal.) Innocent people are harmed, too. Granted, yes, the person whose card number is stolen will get his money back- eventually, but stop and think about this before you hit "Buy it Now" to get one of these cards: Would you want someone you love, or even yourself, to have to go through the inconvenience that these thieves are putting a lot of people through just so you can pay $95 for a stolen $200 iTunes gift card?

Luckily I have enough in the bank to get by until I get the money back, but what if this was your 90-year-old grandmother on a fixed income or a single mom who's barely scraping by as it is? Imagine how a theft of $500 from their bank accounts might effect them? The fact that the money is refunded after the theft has been discovered in no way lessens the impact of the crime, and it in no way makes it any less serious. Theft is theft, and these people who sell these stolen gift cards, as well as those who knowingly support their trade by purchasing these cards, will hopefully be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

[vestigo74]

I ran across this thread while researching iTunes gift card fraud, and felt I needed to share some informtion with all of you, especially those of you who think nothing of purchasing these deeply-discounted cards from online auction sellers because you believe that the seller is buying in bulk or has made a deal with Apple.

This week, over $500 worth of fraudulent iTunes purchases appeared on my bank account. The majority of the transactions were in increments of $50, with a few at $100 and $200. I contacted my bank to dispute the transactions, and they said that it- to state the obvious- that someone stole my debit card number. I had to cancel my card, file complaints, and am still going through the hassle of not only the inconvenience of not having easy access to my bank account, but also of waiting to get my stolen funds refunded.

I contacted Apple, and the customer service representative told me that the person set up a fake account and used my card to purchase online gift cards, which are basically just a code used to add funds to an iTunes account. He said that there's a widespread problem of people doing this and then selling the gift card codes on ebay, usually at a steep discount. He advised me to contact my bank to report the theft, and that Apple would work with them to be sure that I get my money back. Also, he had access to the gift card numbers purchased with my stolen credit card number and said they'd be cancelled.

So, here I am, waiting for my money... my money... to be returned to me while some thief is profiting on ebay.

I hope that all of you continue to purchase these stolen cards will realize that Apple isn't the only one who's harmed by this new form of black market sales. (And just because it's on ebay doesn't make the sale of stolen goods any better or more legitimate than buying it from the guy in the van on the corner. It's still considered receiving/purchasing stolen goods, and it's still illegal.) Innocent people are harmed, too. Granted, yes, the person whose card number is stolen will get his money back- eventually, but stop and think about this before you hit "Buy it Now" to get one of these cards: Would you want someone you love, or even yourself, to have to go through the inconvenience that these thieves are putting a lot of people through just so you can pay $95 for a stolen $200 iTunes gift card?

Luckily I have enough in the bank to get by until I get the money back, but what if this was your 90-year-old grandmother on a fixed income or a single mom who's barely scraping by as it is? Imagine how a theft of $500 from their bank accounts might effect them? The fact that the money is refunded after the theft has been discovered in no way lessens the impact of the crime, and it in no way makes it any less serious. Theft is theft, and these people who sell these stolen gift cards, as well as those who knowingly support their trade by purchasing these cards, will hopefully be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

While I certainly empathize with you, it should be noted that not all iTunes gift cards on eBay are stolen. I realize you're upset about someone stealing your debit card, but blanketing everyone who buys iTunes cards from eBay as "thief supporters" is inappropriate.

[dabigone]

I had purchased some "discounted" gift cards and all was fine for about 2 weeks until I was locked out of my account. I got it re-enabled and was sent the following:

"Your account was disabled because the purchaser of an iTunes Gift Certificate redeemed to your account has refuted the charges with his or her credit card company.

When charges are reported as unauthorized, any remaining iTunes Store credit from the disputed purchase is considered unauthorized and is removed from the account.

If you purchased the iTunes Gift Certificate on an auction website, it may have been part of a fraud claim. You may want to address the issues with your purchase to the seller, or use any dispute resolution service provided by the auction website or other remedies that might otherwise be available to you.

If the iTunes Gift Certificate was purchased from Apple, the buyer will need to contact his or her credit card company to discuss the disputed purchase.

You can now resume purchasing from the iTunes Store, but the funds from the fraudulent iTunes Gift Certificate will not be made available to you."

[bigbarr]

I've been in contact with one of these scammers on ebay for a while. After he inadvertently sent me a code that was good for a hundred dollars (idiot) and I kept questioning him about the authenticity of the codes he came forward with this reply:

--
You are very welcome to call Apple and ask them. But since I called Apple before and have asked them about this same issue before I sold the cards.(just to be cautious) The answer you get from them would be Yes but actually No.
And I can understand your concern, since you are so concerning about the authentity. I could explain a little about how I get these cards.
I got these cards from a government owned drug company in China. This company has been suspend and investigated by the government three months ago. So you wondering what does it has to do with itunes. Ok, here is the thing. The management of this company embezzle the money of the bank account of the company. Then they use this money to buy all different kinds of gifts as bonus for themself legally, like itunes card, walmart gift cards, and them exchange them back into cash in the black market and put those money in to their own wallet. This is a very common method of embezzlement in China.
These people has been caught up now.The money has been refunded to the government.But a portion (like 20000 of them) of these gift cards have entered the black martket of China. And these cards are cheap, but what Apple really cares is that these cards lower the average price of their retail product. So they start to negotiate with the local government in China. And their deal is that, for the code that has not been used, Apple will expire them. But for the codes that has been put into someone's account, if the ammount is less than like $2000, they will let it go, otherwise, Apple will suspend the account for 2 weeks. And then remove the amount out of it. I thought about why 2000 before, and I got to know from some people that itunes is planning about selling ipod and computer all that in itunes store. So for their future profit, they just need to do this.
Well, this is all I know about this case from my relatives. So, if you just called a regular assistant in Apple, they propably won't know this at all But they will tell you that don't buy that again because they want you to buy from them with a higher price.
Let me know if you have any concern.
In fact, I don't really care about all those things. i just want to deliver the best to my customer, best price and best quality. And I think I did it.
Feel free to ask me if you have any questions or concern. I would try my best to help you with that.
Oh one quick thing here, I put like $400 in to my itunes 67 days ago, and it has been working just like a champ~So if i were you, just take it easy, because I could tell you the truth, over 80% sellers on eBay are selling the similar code just like me. So if you don't feel comfortable of getting one from me, then you probably won't feel comfortable with them either.
Good luck~
--

So since no transaction occurred on ebay, I simply called Apple and reported my suspicions. They said that there is not much they can do, but thanked me for being proactive and calling. They wouldn't take down the code he gave me, because they are "secret codes"

This guy had about 60 people leave 100% positive feedback for him on ebay. I would certainly beware.

[techlover828]

^^

interesting

[bigbarr]

I'm now working through another channel to report this guy.

[dabigone]

I disputed my payment and requested refund through paypal as I barely used much of the credit and am awaiting response. The seller responded in disagreement to this so we'll see how it plays out. Not sure how he can disagree with it considering he is now no longer a registered ebay user and all his auctions have been canceled.

[ascender]

So why are eBay allowing all these listings in the first place? If its true that most are fraudulent in some way, why doesn't eBay clamp down on them? Also, as a potential buyer, what can you do to check these guys out before buying from them? They can't all be a scam can they?

[lawman1]

For those that attempt to assure their conscience that they didn't involve themselves or promote any illegal activity, you DID.

Almost all of the ITUNES "Codes" (NOT cards) being sold on Ebay have been purchased with stolen credit card or PayPal info, or are being used to launder money (especially the high $$ 100 and 200 ones)

Apple does not "discount", have "sales" or anything else on these cards. Anyone that has been working with Apple products long enough knows that.

There are of course a few legitimate sellers of ITUNES gift cards on Ebay, but they will have the actual card, and it will sell for within a few dollars of its face value, not half price or some other super low price. The fact that they are selling "codes" tells you they are being purchased online, and not in a legitmate retail establishment.

Use common sense folks...too good to be true? Probably is...

[brendanryder]

<hypothetically speaking>


i bought two $200 gift cards. but i bought them around sept 10th when the prices were still cheap. i got the first one for $71 and the second one for $51. i have spent over $200 already.

both codes work fine and i didnt question a thing.

</hypothetically speaking>

ya they are probably stolen but how are we suppose to know? besides our common sence the average person would just think the person doesn't want them.

i have a feeling this person works at a store that sells them and scans them when know one is looking. its not unheard of when it comes to gift cards.

[NeoMayhem]

Apple does not "discount", have "sales" or anything else on these cards. Anyone that has been working with Apple products long enough knows that.


You can get pretty nice discounts on them at places like Costco. They are more like 5-10% off, not 40, but they do discount them.