Apple is investigating dozens of cases of fraudulent iTunes account charges in Singapore, according to local news reports over the weekend.

Channel News Asia spoke to two people in the Southeast Asian country who said they had both lost several thousand dollars through fraudulent transactions processed through their iTunes accounts.

apple2

Apple Orchard Road in Singapore (Image via Strait Times)

Two people told Channel NewsAsia that they lost at least S$7,000 each to iTunes purchases with one saying she was billed on her HSBC credit card. She added that she only realised something was amiss when she received a text message from HSBC that she had less than 30 per cent of her credit limit left. She realised the extent of the issue after speaking to a customer service operator.

The affected customers had reportedly been banking with Singapore banks including UOB, DBS, and Oversea-Chines Banking Corporation (OCBC). OCBC alone confirmed 58 similar cases of fraudulent charges.

One iTunes user who banked with DBS also told Channel News Asia that six fraudulent transactions had "completely wiped out" their account. As a result of the cases, UOB said that it was stepping up monitoring of all iTunes spending over recent weeks due to increase in cases of fraudulent activity.

Apple Singapore told the news organization that it is looking into the charges and had already cancelled many of the transactions identified as fraudulent. We'll update this article if we hear more.

Top Rated Comments

keysofanxiety Avatar
91 months ago
I wonder if it’s somehow related to moving iCloud data over to China? Sounds like most of the people had accountants with Overseas Chinese Banking Corporation.
Somebody in the comments section said that they were also affected with bank charges and they don't even own any Apple devices or have an Apple ID. So my first thought is that there's a more fundamental bank leak rather than iCloud information being stolen.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Nunyabinez Avatar
91 months ago
I'm sorry if I'm being thick headed here, but how does making iTunes purchases with some else's account benefit a thief?

Isn't the purchased content still the property of the account owner? I mean it is digital after all. Does a thief have a way of getting the money out, or is it just an issue of maliciously spending someone else's money?

The only thing that I could think of is if the thief had an item on the iTunes store and bought it with someone else's account and took off with the money, but that would leave an obvious trail of who ended up with fraudulent purchases.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gnasher729 Avatar
91 months ago
I'm sorry if I'm being thick headed here, but how does making iTunes purchases with some else's account benefit a thief?

Isn't the purchased content still the property of the account owner? I mean it is digital after all. Does a thief have a way of getting the money out, or is it just an issue of maliciously spending someone else's money?

The only thing that I could think of is if the thief had an item on the iTunes store and bought it with someone else's account and took off with the money, but that would leave an obvious trail of who ended up with fraudulent purchases.
Obviously that trail must be organised well enough to disappear without any traces.

But it's really not clear from the reports what is actually happening. It could be that the banks or bank accounts are hacked so the money doesn't go to Apple but to some criminal. And then it doesn't matter what you buy. X dollars leaves your account. X dollars should go to Apple who then gives 70% to the maker of the software or music. Instead X dollars go to some criminal.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
supremedesigner Avatar
91 months ago
Question is - did they enabled TFA?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
szw-mapple fan Avatar
91 months ago
I wonder if it’s somehow related to moving iCloud data over to China? Sounds like most of the people had accountants with Overseas Chinese Banking Corporation.
Not sure how that is relevant seeing as OCBC is a Singaporean bank.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
haruhiko Avatar
91 months ago
I wonder if it’s somehow related to moving iCloud data over to China? Sounds like most of the people had accountants with Overseas Chinese Banking Corporation.
OCBC is not a Chinese ("PRC") bank as far as I know.
Just because there is Chinese in the name of the bank doesn't make it belong to mainland China.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

apple tv 4k new orange

New Apple TV Expected Later This Year With These New Features

Saturday July 12, 2025 3:09 pm PDT by
A new Apple TV is expected to be released later this year, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the next Apple TV, according to rumors. Rumors Faster Wi-Fi Support The next Apple TV will be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He said the chip supports ...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Ultra 3: What to Expect

Sunday July 13, 2025 10:30 am PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 is nearly over, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the Apple Watch Ultra 3:Satellite connectivity for sending and receiving text messages when Wi-Fi and cellular coverage is unavailable 5G support, up from LTE on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Likely a wide-angle OLED display that ...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 16 New Features

Friday July 11, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are only two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:A redesigned Dynamic Island: It has been rumored that all iPhone 17 models will have a redesigned Dynamic Island interface — it might ...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

5 Reasons to Skip This Year's iPhone 17 Pro

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series in two months, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Here's When to Expect the iOS 26 Public Beta

Tuesday July 15, 2025 11:07 am PDT by
Apple previously announced that a public beta of iOS 26 would be available in July, and now a more specific timeframe has surfaced. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said that Apple's public betas should be released on or around Wednesday, July 23. In other words, expect the public betas of iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, and more to be available at some point next week. Apple will be releasing...
Apple Hornsby

Apple Store Near Sydney Permanently Closing Later This Year

Monday July 14, 2025 6:14 pm PDT by
Apple today said its store at the Westfield Hornsby shopping mall, in Hornsby, Australia, will be permanently closing in October. Apple Hornsby In a statement shared with Australian tech news website EFTM (via Reddit), Apple said that it has decided not to renew its lease at Westfield Hornsby. Apple said all affected retail employees will be given the opportunity to work at Apple's nearby...
iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island

iPhone 17 May See 'Significant' Dynamic Island Changes

Monday July 14, 2025 12:11 am PDT by
The iPhone's Dynamic Island experience is set to undergo "significant evolution" over the next few years, according to a new rumor. Earlier this month, a report suggested that the iPhone 17 lineup will feature a redesigned Dynamic Island user interface, but little else was explained about the software changes. Now, the leaker known as "Majin Bu" appears to have corroborated this, commenting ...