Apple Shares Tips on Avoiding App Store and iTunes Phishing Emails - GeekWebGuides
Skip to Content

Apple Shares Tips on Avoiding App Store and iTunes Phishing Emails

Apple last week shared a new support document that's designed to help App Store and iTunes users avoid phishing emails that mimic legitimate emails from Apple.

In the document, Apple outlines techniques to identify an actual App Store or iTunes email, which the company says will always include a current billing address, something scammers are unlikely to have access to.

applescamemail

An example of a well-crafted phishing email

Apple also says that emails from the App Store, iBooks Store, iTunes Store, or Apple Music will never ask customers to provide details like a Social Security Number, mother's maiden name, a credit card number, or a credit card CCV code.

Apple recommends that customers who receive emails asking them to update their account or payment information do so directly in the Settings app on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, in iTunes or the App Store on a Mac, or in iTunes on a PC rather than through any kind of web interface.

Customers who receive a suspicious email can forward it to [email protected], and any customer who may have entered personal information on a scam website should update their Apple ID password immediately.

Scam and phishing emails like those Apple describes in this support document are not new, but at the current time, there's a new wave of legitimate-looking emails going around that look much like Apple emails that can easily fool customers who don't know what to look for.

Related Forum: Mac Apps

Popular Stories

iPhone Duo Slack

Apple Announces iPhone Duo Apps Can Now Be Submitted to App Store

Monday October 5, 2026 7:15 pm PDT by
Apple today announced that apps optimized for the iPhone Duo can now be submitted for App Store approval, ahead of the foldable device launching on Friday, October 23. While existing App Store apps will automatically run on the iPhone Duo, only apps built with the iOS 27.1 SDK or later can dynamically resize to fill the entire space of the inner display, whereas unoptimized apps will have...
Liquid Glass App Store Feature

New App Store Rules Target AI Deepfakes and Nudify Apps

Friday October 16, 2026 3:21 pm PDT by
Apple today expanded its App Store moderation rules to cover AI-generated nonconsensual intimate imagery. Sexually explicit content was already banned, but now Apple says app developers must proactively prevent and remove AI-generated deepfakes from their platforms. Apple warns that apps with offending content could be removed from the App Store if developers fail to act. The updated 1.2...
iOS App Store General Feature Clorange

Apple's App Store Chief Explains Its Push for Premium Games

Tuesday October 20, 2026 8:58 pm PDT by
More premium games are launching on the App Store this year than last, Apple's App Store Worldwide head Carson Oliver told Polygon, including more franchises coming from PC and consoles. Oliver said: We've seen incredible growth of games coming to the App Store, in general, with more premium games releasing on the App Store this year than last. While many of those are indies, we're also...

Top Rated Comments

113 months ago
PROTIP: disable html in your mail client, it's harder to phish when you can see the links that will be used are not what the text claims they are.

Bonus: tell anyone sending html only to not be a muppet, helping the phishers by conditioning users to accepts such emails. Ask them to include the regular plain text body for those who are trying to not be phished.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iModFrenzy Avatar
113 months ago
How about tips for recognizing battery throttling scams?
How much longer are we gonna beat a dead horse?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fastasleep Avatar
113 months ago
I think the current app store's "Today" section design is kind of phishing too.
If you hold the phone with your right hand and scroll through the Today's stories with your right thumb, you can so easily touch the "GET" or "purchase" buttons by mistake, and when that happens some people's first reaction is to press the home button to quit the app store app, but if you do that and if you are using touch ID to approve purchases, the purchase gets approved.
That's not what phishing means.
[doublepost=1519875375][/doublepost]
You’d think they could use their fancy smancy machine learning to stop these from coming through for all sorts of major companies. I know companies like PayPal have trouble with this all the time. Even if you can’t cover everything it’s better to get at least 90% of them.

Heck, you could probably just regex to match certain strings like their footer or other common phrases used in Apple emails. Then check the sender against official Apple email addresses and if it doesn’t check out, send it to the spam folder or put a big red warning at the top saying the email seems suspicious and might be a phishing attempt. This seems like a solvable problem in 2018.
They often do. My spam filter (ASSP) correctly flag all the phishing emails I get as spam. When reviewing stuff in my spambox for false positives, I often take a second look at things that look like they came from Netflix or Apple, only to realize they were correctly flagged. But remember there are a ton of email providers out there with various types and qualities of spam filters.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple_Robert Avatar
113 months ago
Good move on Apple for doing what they can to inform people about phishing.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AndyUnderscoreR Avatar
113 months ago
Well, you SAY that's an Apple support document....
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dannyyankou Avatar
113 months ago
These are actually good tips. I didn’t realize Apple emails have your mailing address on them.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Latest Stories
Fortnite Returning to Australian App Store After Court Ruling
Fortnite Returning to Australian App Store After Court Ruling
15 minutes ago
Apple Ordered to Open iPhone to Rival App Stores in Australia
Apple Ordered to Open iPhone to Rival App Stores in Australia
29 minutes ago
Apple Suppliers Face Hurdles Cutting Circuit Board Emissions
Apple Suppliers Face Hurdles Cutting Circuit Board Emissions
55 minutes ago
Things Updated for iPhone Duo With Adaptive Layout
Things Updated for iPhone Duo With Adaptive Layout
1 hour ago
Simplicity and Siri AI Are HomeView's Killer Features, Apple Says
Simplicity and Siri AI Are HomeView's Killer Features, Apple Says
2 hours ago
iPhone Duo Reviewers Really Miss Face ID
iPhone Duo Reviewers Really Miss Face ID
7 hours ago
Does the iPhone Duo Run Hot? Here's What Reviews Found
Does the iPhone Duo Run Hot? Here's What Reviews Found
8 hours ago
Apple Music's New Look is Now Live on Apple's Website
Apple Music's New Look is Now Live on Apple's Website
9 hours ago
Anthropic Launches Claude Duet, a Proactive AI Agent
Anthropic Launches Claude Duet, a Proactive AI Agent
9 hours ago
What 32,000 Folds Did to the iPhone Duo's Hinge
What 32,000 Folds Did to the iPhone Duo's Hinge
10 hours ago
iPhone Duo's Hidden FaceTime Camera Takes 'Trash' Photos
iPhone Duo's Hidden FaceTime Camera Takes 'Trash' Photos
12 hours ago
iPhone Duo Has 'Edge Light' Feature That Debuted on Macs Last Year
iPhone Duo Has 'Edge Light' Feature That Debuted on Macs Last Year
12 hours ago
Apple Support App Updated for iPhone Duo's Larger Display
Apple Support App Updated for iPhone Duo's Larger Display
12 hours ago
Amazon Sweetens the Deal on Entry-Level 16-Inch MacBook Pro With $570 Off
Amazon Sweetens the Deal on Entry-Level 16-Inch MacBook Pro With $570 Off
13 hours ago
iPhone Duo Tips Over on MagSafe Stands When Unfolded
iPhone Duo Tips Over on MagSafe Stands When Unfolded
13 hours ago
Apple Music's New Look Officially Announced
Apple Music's New Look Officially Announced
14 hours ago
iPhone Duo Supports Apple Pencil Starting With iOS 27.2
iPhone Duo Supports Apple Pencil Starting With iOS 27.2
15 hours ago
iPhone Duo Accessories Roundup: Cases and Screen Protectors From OtterBox, ZAGG, and More
iPhone Duo Accessories Roundup: Cases and Screen Protectors From OtterBox, ZAGG, and More
16 hours ago
Apple Stores Will Have 'Limited' Availability of iPhone Duo for Walk-In Customers
Apple Stores Will Have 'Limited' Availability of iPhone Duo for Walk-In Customers
16 hours ago
iPhone Duo Reviews Explain Why Device is Both 'Fun' and 'Frustrating'
iPhone Duo Reviews Explain Why Device is Both 'Fun' and 'Frustrating'
16 hours ago
Apple Says 'Reachability' Feature Coming to iPhone Duo Later This Year
Apple Says 'Reachability' Feature Coming to iPhone Duo Later This Year
17 hours ago
Loop Capital Cuts Apple Rating Over iPhone Sales Outlook
Loop Capital Cuts Apple Rating Over iPhone Sales Outlook
22 hours ago
Apple Stores in Bordeaux and Lille Looted During French Protests
Apple Stores in Bordeaux and Lille Looted During French Protests
22 hours ago
Bluesound Adds Native Apple Music Support
Bluesound Adds Native Apple Music Support
22 hours ago
Apple CEO John Ternus Explains What Makes Good Product Design
Apple CEO John Ternus Explains What Makes Good Product Design
23 hours ago
UK Proposes New Ways to Help Apple Pay Rivals
UK Proposes New Ways to Help Apple Pay Rivals
1 day ago
WhatsApp Developing In-App Browser for All Chat Links on iPhone
WhatsApp Developing In-App Browser for All Chat Links on iPhone
1 day ago
Apple's App Store Chief Explains Its Push for Premium Games
Apple's App Store Chief Explains Its Push for Premium Games
1 day ago
Apple Could Owe Even More After $5.7 Billion Patent Verdict
Apple Could Owe Even More After $5.7 Billion Patent Verdict
1 day ago
Skyrim Comes to Apple Silicon Macs With New Unofficial Installer
Skyrim Comes to Apple Silicon Macs With New Unofficial Installer
1 day ago