A list of unauthorised iTunes transactions appeared in Deepan Chakkaravarthi's bank account. (Photo: Reuters/Deepan Chakkaravarthi's Facebook)
SINGAPORE: Dozens of Apple customers have had hundreds of dollars each drained from their bank accounts, after being billed for purchases they did not make on their iTunes accounts.
The victims that Channel NewsAsia spoke to said the charges were deducted from their accounts at DBS and Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC).
At OCBC alone, there were 58 cases of fraudulent transactions in July, the bank told Channel NewsAsia.
“In early July, we detected and investigated unusual transactions on 58 cardholders’ accounts. Upon confirmation that these were fraudulent transactions, we deployed the necessary counter-measures and are currently assisting the affected cardholders via the chargeback process," said Mr Vincent Tan, head of credit cards at OCBC Bank.
Channel NewsAsia has also approached DBS and UOB to enquire about the number of cases they received.
AMOUNT OF EACH UNAUTHORISED TRANSACTION WAS S$112.03
One of the victims is 28-year-old Deepan Chakkaravarthi, who discovered last week that nearly S$700 had been drained from his account at DBS.
Shocked that his "account balance had been completely wiped out", Mr Deepan called DBS and was told that six iTunes transactions had been made.
He did not authorise any of those six iTunes transactions, Mr Deepan told Channel NewsAsia.
The purchases - each for S$112.03 - were made by another iCloud account holder, who had used his account, Mr Deepan added.
"A senior advisor I spoke with (at Apple Singapore) told me that information. But they (have since) suspended that account," Mr Deepan said.
Apple Singapore has since nullified the purchases and DBS has given him a temporary credit for the disputed transactions, said Mr Deepan.
In response to queries, Apple Singapore told Channel NewsAsia that they are looking into the matter.
More at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/apple-fraudulent-itunes-charges-dozens-of-cases-singapore-10551110