App Store blocks $7 billion in potentially fraudulent transactions over 4 years

By

Apple fraud prevention
Apple wants you to know it works hard to prevent fraud in the App Store and elsewhere.
Photo: Apple

The App Store prevented more than $7 billion in potentially fraudulent transactions over the past four years, Apple said Tuesday, when it published its fourth annual fraud prevention analysis report.

Apple publishes fourth annual fraud prevention analysis citing big App Store numbers

Apple said the $7 billion figure includes $1.8 billion in potentially fraudulent transactions thwarted in 2023 alone. And it also blocked over 14 million stolen credit cards and kept more than 3.3 million accounts from transacting again.

Other stats from 2023:

  • Rejected more than 1.7 million app submissions for failing to meet the App Store’s standards for privacy, security and content.
  • Terminated nearly 374 million developer and customer accounts.
  • Terminated close to 118,000 developer accounts, a decrease from 428,000 terminations from the prior year, thanks to continued improvements to prevent the creation of potentially fraudulent accounts.
  • Blocked over 153 million fraudulent customer account creations, such as spambots.
  • Removed nearly 152 million ratings and reviews over fraud concerns.
  • Prevented more than 3.5 million stolen credit cards from making fraudulent purchases and banned over 1.1 million accounts from transacting again.

Pictures are worth millions of words

Read more about Apple’s fraud-fighting tactics in the App Store. Apple put most of its most-important fraud-fighting stats on infographics, shown below.

App Store fraud prevention 1
Apple sums up it actions against App Store payment and credit card fraud.
Photo: Apple
App Store fraud prevention - ratings and reviews
A surprising amount of wrongdoing comes up around App Store ratings and reviews.
Photo: Apple
App Store fraud prevention - protecting users
Here Apple illustrates how app review and rejection help protect App Store users.
Photo: Apple
App Store account fraud
Apple also takes measure to block account fraud.
Photo: Apple

Source: Apple

Newsletters

Daily round-ups or a weekly refresher, straight from Cult of Mac to your inbox.

  • The Weekender

    The week's best Apple news, reviews and how-tos from Cult of Mac, every Saturday morning. Our readers say: "Thank you guys for always posting cool stuff" -- Vaughn Nevins. "Very informative" -- Kenly Xavier.