Apple Sending Confirmation Emails To Combat App Purchase Fraud

Apple has begun sending emails when AppleID's are used to make purchases on iOS devices not previously associated with the account. It is likely these emails are being used as one way to combat increasingly frequent app purchase fraud.

fraudprotectemail
MacRumors reader Michael had his iPhone replaced at an Apple Retail Store. After the first App Store purchase on the replaced phone, he received the above email. The email doesn't require confirmation of the purchase, but is instead a simple notification that a new device has been used and requests the user change their password if they don't recognize the activity.

Apple already requires credit card users to reenter the 3 or 4 digit CID number from the back of their credit card (front in the case of American Express) to authenticate the new device, however users with balances from iTunes Store Gift Cards aren't required to perform any special authentication other than entering their AppleID password.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.4 and iOS 27 Features Revealed in New Leak

Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28. The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Leak Reveals Foldable iPhone Details

Monday December 15, 2025 9:09 am PST by
The first foldable iPhone will feature a series of design and hardware firsts for Apple, according to details shared by the Weibo leaker known as Digital Chat Station. According to a new post, via machine translation, Apple is developing what the leaker describes as a "wide foldable" device, a term used to refer to a horizontally oriented, book-style foldable with a large internal display....
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.2 With Alarms for Reminders, Lock Screen Changes, Enhanced Safety Alerts and More

Friday December 12, 2025 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. ‌iOS 26‌.2 is compatible with the ‌iPhone‌ 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...
apple beta 26 lineup

Apple Leak Confirms Work on Foldable iPhone, AirTag 2, and Dozens More Devices

Monday December 15, 2025 2:05 pm PST by
Last week, details about unreleased Apple devices and future iOS features were shared by Macworld. This week, we learned where the information came from, plus we have more findings from the leak. As it turns out, an Apple prototype device running an early build of iOS 26 was sold, and the person who bought it shared the software. The OS has a version number of 23A5234w, and the first...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
macOS Tahoe 26 Thumb

Apple Releases macOS Tahoe 26.2 With Edge Light

Friday December 12, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Apple today released macOS Tahoe 26.2, the second major update to the macOS Tahoe operating system that came out in September. macOS Tahoe 26.2 comes five weeks after Apple released macOS Tahoe 26.1. Mac users can download the macOS Tahoe update by using the Software Update section of System Settings. macOS Tahoe 26.2 includes Edge Light, a feature that illuminates your face with soft...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3

Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
Apple Logo Top Half

Early iOS 26 Software Leak Uncovers Dozens of Upcoming Apple Features

Monday December 15, 2025 3:05 pm PST by
Software from an iPhone prototype running an early build of iOS 26 leaked last week, giving us a glimpse at future Apple devices and iOS features. We recapped device codenames in our prior article, and now we have a list of some of the most notable feature flags that were found in the software code. In some cases, it's obvious what the feature flags are referring to, while some are more...

Top Rated Comments

EricNau Avatar
187 months ago
It's a step in the right direction, but seems incomplete without an easy way to contact Apple regarding a fraudulent charge.

Doesn't this email sort of send the message that "we know your account may have been jeopardized, but we don't want to help you fix it"? :confused:
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
irwcll94 Avatar
187 months ago
I got this months ago... not new like the others said.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Epic Xbox Revie Avatar
187 months ago
This isn't new...:rolleyes:
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
derekamoss Avatar
187 months ago
To all the folks that said they got these emails a while ago and that it isn't new:

Why didn't you send it in? :-)

Because it didn't seem news worthy?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dawnathedevil Avatar
187 months ago
Does anybody know if it's possible to transfer your purchase history and account into a new username?

You can simply change your Apple ID on your account. You can't create a new account (with new ID) and transfer the purchases with it. Making a second account is a bad idea because they can not be merged together. Just change the Apple ID on your account to save you a lot of hassle.

Follow this link:
https://appleid.apple.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/MyAppleId.woa/69/wa/directToSignIn?wosid=ex52wgHT0SbfvcBuEHQosM&localang=en_US

sign into your account, and where it says Apple ID, there should be a small 'edit' link in the right corner. Edit the Apple ID as you wish. (If no 'edit' then this means the ID is in use with, or has been in use with mobile me and can not be changed at all)

if you have devices, sign out of your iTunes account on all of them, and sign back in using your new ID.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dfnj123 Avatar
187 months ago
To all the folks that said they got these emails a while ago and that it isn't new:

Why didn't you send it in? :-)

Didn't think it was new worthy tbh... still not convinced it is...
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)