Apple foiled fraudulent transactions worth over $1.8 billion in 2023
What's the story
Apple has successfully thwarted over $1.8 billion in potentially fraudulent transactions on its App Store during 2023.
The tech giant prevented more than $7 billion in such transactions from 2020 to 2023. The company also blocked over 14 million stolen credit cards from being used on its platform within this period.
This is alongside rejecting over 1.7 million app submissions for failing to meet security standards, and terminating around 374 million developer and customer accounts due to security concerns.
Security measures
Apple's vigilance in maintaining App Store integrity
In 2023, Apple demonstrated its commitment to maintaining the integrity of its App Store by terminating around 118,000 developer accounts and rejecting more than 91,000 developer enrollments due to fraud concerns.
This action effectively prevented the submission of problematic apps to the App Store.
Additionally, Apple took stringent measures against fraudulent customer account creations by blocking over 153 million fake account creations and deactivating about 374 million accounts for spamming or manipulating ratings and reviews, charts, and search results.
App removal
Apple's response to 'bait-and-switch' app activities
Apple's report revealed instances where seemingly harmless apps transformed into illegal platforms for movie streaming or gambling after approval.
In response to these "bait-and-switch" activities, Apple removed or rejected 40,000 apps in 2023.
The company also identified and rejected apps designed to trick or scam users by copying existing apps. In 2023 alone, Apple rejected more than 248,000 such app submissions.
Furthermore, over 38,000 app submissions were rejected for containing hidden or undocumented features.
Third-Party monitoring
Apple extends security measures to third-party app stores
Apple's efforts extended beyond its own platform as it blocked over 47,000 "illegitimate apps" on third-party app stores from reaching its users in the last 12 months.
The company also blocked nearly 3.8 million attempts to install or launch apps distributed illicitly through the Developer Enterprise Program.
Lastly, Apple removed over 152 million fraudulent ratings and reviews on its App Store in 2023 that could potentially mislead users, further demonstrating its commitment to maintaining user privacy and security.