iTunes scam: pay for a gift card you’ve never bough

New York City's Fox affiliate station this week reported that consumers are now hit by iTunes related fraud as they get receipts for iTunes gift cards that they didn't buy.

As some experts note iTunes associated scams are not new today. An independent customer-service Web site Get Satisfaction says that over the past years a number of people having found bogus charges to their credit cards which were allegedly from the iTunes Store. Meantime, some consumers reported that they were contacted by their credit card companies over US$1 iTunes charges. Some fraudsters just use the small charge as a test and then they start making larger purchases if they aren't caught.

But in fact thieves are not captured and prosecuted. In most cases a credit card company just notifies its customers about the fact and users then cancel their cards. Individuals behind the schemes are not known but the internet is now full of illicit sites reselling iTunes gift certificates for less than their face value, paid for with stolen credit card numbers.

Thus, the best thing a cardholder can do, as advised by experts, is to ensure the security of their iTunes account and credit card data. Besides, it is also important to check credit card statements regularly.