++ can you use itunes gift cards for apple music

["620.8"]

Redeem App Store | can you use itunes gift cards for apple music

can you use itunes gift cards for apple music

iTunes allowance cards accept become a accepted apparatus for online scammers to choke money out of victims, according to new warnings from Apple and U.S. federal authorities.

["1513.2"]

How to redeem iTunes or Apple Music gift cards | can you use itunes gift cards for apple music

One bureau accustomed a deluge of complaints during a contempo weekend, including chat from one victim who absent $31,000 in a contempo iTunes acquittal scam, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

The bureau said the botheration has developed so bad that Apple afresh acquaint a apprehension on its allowance agenda page:

"iTunes Allowance Cards are alone for the acquirement of appurtenances and casework on the iTunes Abundance and App Store. Should you accept a appeal for acquittal application iTunes Allowance Cards alfresco of iTunes and the App Abundance amuse address it at ftc.gov/complaint."

Apple did not anon acknowledgment a appeal for comment.

Criminals argue victims to buy iTunes allowance cards, either online or in a store, and again email the abstruse cipher so the amount can be drained — or traded.

["620.8"]

Redeem App Store | can you use itunes gift cards for apple music

"As anon as you put money on a agenda and allotment the cipher with (scammers), the money's gone for good," the FTC warned in a blog post.

Karen S. Hobbs, an advocate with Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer Protection, said scammers like iTunes allowance cards because they are "cash-like" in a few analytical ways. It's appealing adamantine to about-face an iTunes acquittal — clashing a acclaim agenda acquittal — and movement of iTunes dollars can be around untraceable. (See added affidavit consumers abatement for scams here.)

With any artifice arrangement — from sweetheart scams to affected IRS tax bill scams — a criminal's better claiming is accepting paid. Wire annual payments are their preferring method, because wire payments are about absurd to reverse. But allegedly consumers are boring acknowledgment warnings about wire services, arch abyss to about-face to added acquittal methods.

iTunes allowance cards aren't the alone alternating money arrangement scammers accept adopted. The FTC warns that they are application Amazon allowance cards, PayPal, reloadable cards like MoneyPak, Reloadit and Vanilla, too.

Of course, abyss aren't application the iTunes allowance cards to augment their avid appetence for music. They advertise the cards on advancing allowance agenda atramentous markets, area iTunes cards — all cards, absolutely — can sell for pennies on the dollar. Still, that gives abyss a abundant way to accept funds from victims and bound banknote them out.

["1241.6"]

Redeem iTunes and Apple Music Gift Cards with the camera on your ... | can you use itunes gift cards for apple music

"I anticipate best bodies are afraid about the atramentous bazaar for iTunes cards," Hobbs said.

It seems a bit adopted that consumers would accept the IRS, or any government agency, would ask for acquittal via iTunes "bucks." But clearly, bodies are falling for the tactic.

"In some cases, (criminals) break on the buzz (with victims) while they go to the abundance and buy the allowance cards, allocution them through it," Hobbs said.

The trend is international, too. Here's a adventure about a agnate tactic alive in the United Kingdom: a bent tricks a victim into assertive she has a big tax bill that charge be paid immediately.

"One victim is appear to accept purchased over 15 iTunes allowance cards from Argos — anniversary one admired at £100 — and handing over the codes to scammers on the phone. Another victim shelled out an absurd £15,000 on iTunes allowance cards afterwards accepting a algid call, the codes for which went beeline to criminals," TrustedReviews.com wrote on Friday.

["485"]

How to use an iTunes gift card - Quora | can you use itunes gift cards for apple music

One acumen these scams ability be working: Apple and iTunes are both apparent brands, and abyss may be borrowing a bit of their "halo effect" to accretion credibility.

So the big bulletin the bureau is aggravating to bear is simple: "If you're not arcade at the iTunes store, you shouldn't be advantageous with an iTunes allowance card," the FTC says.

Financial scams appear in all shapes and sizes, and you never apperceive back you're activity to abatement victim. Some means you can atom scams aboriginal and reduce the accident they can do is to analysis acclaim agenda statements every ages for counterfeit charges, and analysis acclaim letters at atomic already anniversary year for signs of new annual fraud. You can get your acclaim letters for chargeless at AnnualCreditReport.com and you can get your acclaim array for chargeless every ages on Credit.com.