Unauthorized charge attempt on Apple account

If after all that you think the message is real, your next step is to try to identify the reason for, and source of, any charges. They may be perfectly valid charges you simply do not recognize.

The support article If you see 'apple.com/bill' on your billing statement - Apple Support and the related article Get help with charges from apple.com/bill - Apple Support explain how you can check your iTunes and App Stores purchase history, cancel subscriptions (remember that these need to be canceled at least 24 hours in advance), and track possible sources of unrecognized Apple charges you may see on a bill. These may be purchases by Family Sharing members, others sharing your card (such as a spouse or partner, or a second Apple Account you have; you may not see a receipt).

The article also provides a specific link for contacting Apple if you cannot trace the source of charges, e.g., if you subscribed to something directly with a third party, see: About purchases not billed through the App Store or the App Store’s In-App Purchase system - Apple Support instead. In that case you need to work directly with the vendor, not Apple. See also: Fabulous SAS - Unethical app, please dele… - Apple Community

If you use Apple Card you may find this document helpful too ➞ If you see an Apple Services charge you don't recognize on your Apple Card - Apple Support

Also note this service: View your App Store and iTunes Store purchases directly from your financial institution - Apple Support

"When you sign in to your financial institution website or mobile app and view your recent purchases from the App Store, iTunes Store, Apple Books, or for Apple Music or iCloud services, you may see an option—such as View Receipt—that allows you to view more details about your transaction."

Other possibilities to consider (not all may apply in your situation):

● If you see duplicate subscription charges on a card but only one in your Apple subscriptions list, you may have subscribed once in-app through Apple and a second time directly with the vendor on their web site (e.g., YouTube). Cancel one of your subscriptions. The same can happen if you have two Apple Accounts.

● Purchases can be made with your account if your Apple Account is compromised (read what to do ➞ If you think your Apple Account has been compromised - Apple Support ) or somebody else has access to your device (require a purchase password as explained in this article ➞ Require a password for purchases in the App Store and other Apple services - Apple Support ).

● If you only see a charge in emails or texts that are not official Apple receipts, it is likely phishing attempts (see the article: Recognize and avoid social engineering schemes including phishing messages, phony support calls, and other scams - Apple Support ).

● If neither you, nor Apple, nor a Family Sharing member can account for a charge and it ONLY appears on a bill for a charge card you alone control, you may have been the victim of card fraud. Contact your financial institution immediately. Any reimbursement would have to come from them, not Apple. More here —> Refund Rejected on fraudulent transaction - Apple Community

● Small amounts of ~$1 may be an authorization hold that will be refunded (pending charge ➞ https://support.apple.com/HT201292 ).

● Unanticipated amounts may be grouped charges ( https://support.apple.com/HT201359 ).

If using Family Sharing and viewing purchase history under Report A Problem, make sure the “Apple ID” box is set to “All.” If a purchase is listed in your purchase history and you want to ask for a refund, read this article about how to request a refund for apps or content that you bought from Apple ➞ https://support.apple.com/HT204084 Remember that many apps have trial periods with subscriptions that then start automatically unless you cancel them in time. If a Family Sharing member made the purchase then you need to discuss this with that person. They would have to initiate any refund request.

If a reporting a problem request is unsuccessful or you have another issue you can also speak with Apple ➞ https://support.apple.com/choose-country-region

Select your country (if you do not see your country, also look for "other" regions; e.g., "Other Africa"), then "Choose a product". Click the "show" item under each category for more selections. If you don't see one that handles your issue then keep experimenting with selections until you reach one that gets you a chat session or a telephone call and get the representative to redirect you.

or:

Contact Apple for support and service ➞ "See a list of Apple phone numbers around the world."

Click here ➞ https://support.apple.com/HT201232

I do not trust any text messages. There's too many fake ones out there.

Criminals are getting very good at imitating Apple messages and sometimes the only indication in an email is very subtle. Have a look at this thread. Someone registered an Apple ID with my em… - Apple Community It can be very hard to tell from an email alone if it is authentic. The best way to check is to use an independent way through Apple's own resources to confirm what the communication claims. Scams (e-mail, text messages, and phone calls) are getting very good at closely imitating true Apple communications. Always be cautious. These support articles have some guidelines:

About identifying legitimate emails from the App Store and iTunes Store --> Identify legitimate emails from the App Store or iTunes Store - Apple Support

Recognize and avoid social engineering schemes including phishing messages, phony support calls, and other scams - Recognize and avoid social engineering schemes including phishing messages, phony support calls, and other scams - Apple Support

Avoid scams when you use Apple Cash --> Avoid scams when you use Apple Cash - Apple Support

About Gift Card Scams --> About Gift Card Scams - Official Apple Support

If you are uncertain about a message and a resource provided in that message, do not click on any links in the message. Try to use an Apple resource you know is valid to independently verify what the message is claiming. Go to a support article page on apple.com and use the instructions in the article to verify though Apple itself, or use an Apple device feature such as Settings or an Apple app. To ask Apple start at this web page: Official Apple Support If you wish to investigate links, this post by contributor MrHoffman describes how you can do that —> "Keep your Apple Account safe and secure"… - Apple Community (the link takes you to the end of the post so scroll up a bit).

- Apple won’t warn you about disabling an account. You will find out when you try to sign in.

- Phishing emails may include account suspension or similar threats in order to panic you into clicking on a link without thinking. They may report a fake purchase in order to infuriate you into rashly clicking on a false link to report a problem.

- Apple e-mails address you by your real name, not something like "Dear Customer", "Dear Client", or an e-mail address* However, having your actual name is not proof this isn’t phishing. Compromised databases may have your name and address in them.

- Apple e-mails originate from @apple.com or @itunes.com but it is possible to spoof a sender address. "Apple email related to your Apple ID account always comes from appleid@id.apple.com ." (From an older version of: About your Apple Account email addresses - Apple Support )

- Set your email to display Show Headers or Show Original to view Received From. Apple emails originate from IP addresses starting with "17.".

- Mouse-over links to see if they direct to real Apple web sites. Do not click on them as this just tells the spammer they have a working e-mail address in their database. If you are unsure, contact Apple using a link from the Apple.com web site, not one in an email.

- Apple will not ask for personal information in an e-mail and never for a social security number.

- Scams frequently have bad grammar or spelling mistakes.

- Apple will not phone you unless it is in response to a request from you to have them call you.

* Exception: I got email saying my ID is expired! Does… - Apple Community

“If you receive a suspicious link to a FaceTime call in Messages or Mail, email a screenshot of the link to reportfacetimefraud@apple.com. The screenshot should include the phone number or email address that sent the link.”

Forward phishing attempts as an attachment (in MacOS Mail use the paperclip icon) to: reportphishing@apple.com then delete it.

If this is with regard to a supposed purchase, this Apple article --> If you see 'apple.com/bill' on your billing statement - Apple Support has relevant information and web links for checking if you really have made a purchase or paid for a subscription. Purchases made under Family Sharing might be charged to the organizer's card but will not appear under the organizer's purchase history or subscriptions. Ask family members about those or check your receipts. Apple will email a receipt to the Family Organizer if a purchase is made on a card held by the Family Organizer. This will have the Apple ID of the purchaser, which you should recognize, but won't have specifics about what was purchased.