Approved iPhone application steeling money from iTunes accounts!!!

george6000 said:

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id371613788?mt=8

this application has stolen £30 from my iTunes account through in app purchases!
This application is free however the developer has found a loop hole to buy worthless in app purchases which they will buy as many as your account will let you, for me it was £30 because that's how much I had from gift cards, luckley it wasn't associated with a bank card.

looking through the reviews it seems im not the only person to fall victim to this problem.

apple really? This has been here for almost 2 weeks with lots of complains (reviews & emails) and they haven't done anything and I have already contacted them.

Click to expand...

Have you tried sending an email to Apple?

Also, caveat emptor.

Tbh if its in the app store it has passed through apples approval system therefore you should be able to trust it. This is one of the advantages of apples closed system compared to android. Things like this shouldn't be missed by apple.

I read a bunch of reviews of the app, I didn't see that mentioned anywhere.

Wirelessly posted (iPhone 4: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)

anjinha said:

I read a bunch of reviews of the app, I didn't see that mentioned anywhere.

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Just about every review on the App Store is repeating these warnings. This isn't the only app with these type of complaints: there's a Poker app on the app store that has lots of similar complaints about funds being emptied from accounts through unauthorised in app purchases.
Don't know if the issues are real or coincidental but I would expect that Apple with investigate if people complain.

anjinha said:

I read a bunch of reviews of the app, I didn't see that mentioned anywhere.

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It's there on the iTunes link (web version) the TS provided:

Carlanga said:

It's there on the iTunes link (web version) the TS provided:

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Oh I see. Weird that those reviews don't appear on iTunes.

Matth345 said:

Oh yeah its foreign so it must be a con. What a ridiculous comment. Tbh if its in the app store it has passed through apples approval system therefore you should be able to trust it. This is one of the advantages of apples closed system compared to android. Things like this shouldn't be missed by apple.

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Agreed. This kind of thing happening has enormous potential to undermine Apple's brand. Trust is crucial... and it seems surprising that these apps are slipping through, if they're doing what people what say they're doing.

Thing is: Apple will look into their approval processes and they'll pull whatever is creating problems, but don't expect any announcements, as they won't want the publicity.

I turned off the in-app purchases on my iPhone because I let the kids play on it. It sounds like that will protect me, too?

PNutts said:

I turned off the in-app purchases on my iPhone because I let the kids play on it. It sounds like that will protect me, too?

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Good idea!!!

Happened to me

This was the App that hacked my account. Basically, after several e-mails to Apple I got my money fully refunded however, all customer services agents I spoke to declined to confirm this App was an issue even though the amount of complaints they have received regarding it.

Hopefully Apple will have something to say about it, or the very least REMOVE it from the App store.

Aaron

anjinha said:

Oh I see. Weird that those reviews don't appear on iTunes.

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They do appear in iTunes for me (on the UK Store) - I didn't realise there were different reviews shown on different stores

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 2.2.1; en-gb; Nexus One Build/FRG83) AppleWebKit/533.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/533.1)

Crap... I hope you get you money back!

Keep the thread updated on how it goes. Did you get an email reciept at all for the in app purchase?

PNutts said:

I turned off the in-app purchases on my iPhone because I let the kids play on it. It sounds like that will protect me, too?

Click to expand...

How do you turn that off?

Heres my own experience

Ok guys, here is what happened to mine:

1 帝國 Online, 5850銀幣禮包, Developer: GAMEISLIVE CORPORATION LIMITED
Report a Problem £2.99
2 帝國 Online, 5850銀幣禮包, Developer: GAMEISLIVE CORPORATION LIMITED
Report a Problem £2.99
3 帝國 Online, 5850銀幣禮包, Developer: GAMEISLIVE CORPORATION LIMITED
Report a Problem £2.99
Order Total: £8.97

Then

1 帝國 Online, 23400銀幣禮包, Developer: GAMEISLIVE CORPORATION LIMITED
Report a Problem £11.99
Order Total: £11.99


THEN

1 帝國 Online, 2340銀幣禮包, Developer: GAMEISLIVE CORPORATION LIMITED
Report a Problem £1.19
2 帝國 Online, 1170銀幣禮包, Developer: GAMEISLIVE CORPORATION LIMITED
Report a Problem £0.59
Order Total: £1.78




This is my message to Apple:

Right. I've had a few suspicious transactions emailed to me. And judging from the reviews on the "app" i apparently downloaded so have many other people. Basically it has taken multiple payments from my account without my permission of knowledge. Phone support said to e-mail you, but I couldn't find the specific place for this kind of situation.
>
> Below is what I have been charged for and have not requested or personally brought. No, I have not given anyone my account details. The last computer to authorize itself under my account is obviously the person who has hacked my account. If you look at the suspect app I am not the only customer who this has happened to and I look forward to your reply and solution.

and this is their replies:


Dear Aaron,
>
> Thank you for contacting iTunes Store Customer Support. My name is XXXX and I will assist you today.
>
> I understand that you are concerned about multiple purchases made using your iTunes Store account without your permission or knowledge. I know how alarming it could be whenever you find unauthorized charges in your account and I will definitely help you with this concern.
>
> To prevent further purchasing, I have immediately disabled your "XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX" account. Please note that you can enable your iTunes Store account in the future by providing specific information to iTunes Store support, as described at the end of this email.
>
> I issued a refund for the items that were purchased without your permission. A refund in the amount of 22.74 GBP will be credited to your account within three to five business days. Please note that this is a one-time exception to our sales policy.
>
> I strongly recommend you change your account password immediately. Changing the password will help to prevent anyone else from using your iTunes Store account to place orders without your knowledge. To increase the security of your account I highly recommend that you follow the suggestions outlined in the following article:
>
> iTunes Store: Best practices for protecting the security of your account
> http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4156
>
> I have also de-authorized all computers associated with your iTunes Store account. You may have to reauthorize the computers that you use.
>
> For specific instructions on how to authorize and de-authorize a computer to play your iTunes Store purchases, please read the following technical support article:
>
> http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1420
>
> If you suspect you are the victim of identity theft, consider following these recommendations:
>
> - Contact the fraud departments of any consumer reporting company to place a fraud alert on your credit report.
>
> - Close the accounts that you believe have been used without your knowledge.
>
> If you would like your iTunes Store account to be enabled, please reply to this email with the following information:
>
> 1) The billing address listed on the account, and
>
> 2) One of the following:
>
> - the order number of your most recent purchase
> - the name of any item you've purchased using this account
>
> Once I receive the above information, I will be able to re-enable the account for you.
>
> Aaron, if you require further assistance, please do not hesitate to reply to this email and I will be more than happy to assist you further. You are a valued iTunes Store customer, and your satisfaction is of the utmost importance.
>
> Have a great day!
>
> Sincerely,
>
>  XXXX
> iTunes Store Customer Support
>
> Please note: I work 11:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M., Saturday to Wednesday, CST
>
> Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to assist you. You may receive an AppleCare survey email; any feedback you provide would be greatly appreciated.



Basically they failed to take into account any wrong on their end or the app end, so i'm sure many more will fall victim to this hack before long

Hope no one else falls down the same hole I did


Aaron

Jordan921 said:

How do you turn that off?

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Settings - General - Restrictions.

tablo13 said:

Settings - General - Restrictions.

Click to expand...

Thank you very much

george6000 said:

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id371613788?mt=8

this application has stolen £30 from my iTunes account through in app purchases!
This application is free however the developer has found a loop hole to buy worthless in app purchases which they will buy as many as your account will let you, for me it was £30 because that's how much I had from gift cards, luckley it wasn't associated with a bank card.

looking through the reviews it seems im not the only person to fall victim to this problem.

apple really? This has been here for almost 2 weeks with lots of complains (reviews & emails) and they haven't done anything and I have already contacted them.

Click to expand...

And how exactly is it "steeling" money?

iphone3gs16gb said:

And how exactly is it "steeling" money?

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The OP has what looks like being a legitimate case, and you point out spelling errors? Or have I missed something?

Hope you get everything straightened out soon!

I don't think that there is any hacking of any accounts going on here, just the game allows you to buy in game items for real money. This is what a lot of MMORPGs are doing. It sounds like the OP didn't know this and purchased things in game without realizing that it is going to cost real money. The way the company is handling is my be a little low but I can't say, I didn't download (and I don't plan on it) it.

If this is the case, and if they are honest and upfront about it; then it is your fault for not understanding / reading the terms. I looked through the US iTunes comments and saw nothing about any hacking or anything like that.

I guess that the application is prompting you to approve a purchase, but it may not be clear or the OP is just clicking though thinking it is using in game money where it is not.

There is nothing wrong with this method of supporting a game / application as long as they are up front about it. If that is the case, then it is the buyers problem not the applications. I downloaded one game that required buying additional features to actually play anything; I just deleted the app from my phone immediately.

tablo13 said:

Settings - General - Restrictions.

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Great! Always nice to learn something new--thanks.

CylonGlitch said:

I don't think that there is any hacking of any accounts going on here, just the game allows you to buy in game items for real money. This is what a lot of MMORPGs are doing. It sounds like the OP didn't know this and purchased things in game without realizing that it is going to cost real money. The way the company is handling is my be a little low but I can't say, I didn't download (and I don't plan on it) it.

If this is the case, and if they are honest and upfront about it; then it is your fault for not understanding / reading the terms. I looked through the US iTunes comments and saw nothing about any hacking or anything like that.

I guess that the application is prompting you to approve a purchase, but it may not be clear or the OP is just clicking though thinking it is using in game money where it is not.

There is nothing wrong with this method of supporting a game / application as long as they are up front about it. If that is the case, then it is the buyers problem not the applications. I downloaded one game that required buying additional features to actually play anything; I just deleted the app from my phone immediately.

Click to expand...

First of all guys, I know all about in-app purchasing (i develop for the iOS platform). I did not "accidentally" buy them or buy them from "not knowing" what i was doing.

Secondly this app by-passes all security for the account. I don't know how but it does. I never downloaded the app to any of my iOS devices / macbook and yet it managed to charge my account numerous times.

I'm actually waiting for a response from the Apple team as I requested further information under what had happened and the nice Customer Service agent said that "this is currently being reviewed"

So as soon as I hear back I will post here.

Aaron