**Common Apple Pay Scams, and How to Stay Safe**
Apple Pay has become a household name in the world of digital payments, with an estimated hundreds of millions of users globally processing trillions of transactions in 2025 alone. However, where there's money to be made, scammers are sure to follow.
Apple is renowned for designing secure and private digital ecosystems, which is why Apple Pay utilizes biometric authentication (Face ID) to authorize payments, as well as tokenization to protect card details from hackers. Despite these robust security measures, the platform can still be exploited by scammers, typically through manipulating user behavior rather than exploiting technological vulnerabilities.
Google Pay users should also take note, as many of these scams apply to their service as well. The rise of near-field communication (NFC) technology has made mobile payment services increasingly attractive targets for ne'er-do-wells. Researchers at ESET have found that detections of NFC-abusing Android malware almost doubled between the first and second halves of 2025.
**Top Six Scams Targeting Apple Pay Users**
Apple Pay scammers usually aim to obtain your financial information, money, or Apple ID and login credentials. Here are six common types of fraud:
You Receive a Suspicious Message
A scammer may send you a text message, phone call, or email claiming that your details need to be verified for a prize you've won, a refund due to you, or a fake story about how your Apple Pay account has been suspended. Clicking on the provided link will take you to a phishing site where you'll be asked to provide your bank account or card details.
Smishing Texts and Phishing Sites
The scenario is similar with smishing texts, which may ask you to click a link or call a phone number. In some cases, the scammer may harvest your details in real-time. If this happens, your bank will send a one-time passcode to confirm the new setup. The phishing site will instantaneously request this code, and if you enter it, the fraudster will have added your card details to their wallet.
Fake Buyers and Refunds
A scammer may connect stolen cards to their Apple Pay account and use them to purchase an item (usually of high value) that you're selling on a digital marketplace. Once the legitimate cardholder discovers what's happened, they'll dispute the charges with their bank, leaving you to reimburse them for the item.
Overpayment Scams
A fraudster may message you about an item you're selling online and pay too much money using Apple Cash or another cash app. They'll ask you to refund the difference, which turns out to be a stolen card, leaving you to lose the product, the original payment, and the refund amount.
Refund Requests
This scam is similar to the previous one, but instead of an overpayment, you receive a payment from someone using Apple Pay. They'll ask you to return it via Apple Cash or a gift card. Eventually, you'll be required to pay back the original amount to the rightful owner of the card, leaving you out of pocket for the refund.
Escrow Scams
A scammer may agree to buy an item you're selling online and send you a screenshot showing they've paid via Apple Pay. They'll claim the money is pending or in 'escrow' until you ship it and provide a tracking number. In reality, they've never paid – Apple Pay doesn't hold funds in escrow.
Evil Twin Hotspots
Hackers may set up an "evil twin" hotspot in a public area like a café or airport that mimics a legitimate public Wi-Fi network. They'll use it to monitor traffic to and from your device, redirecting you to a fake Apple portal to harvest your Apple ID and password.
**How to Stay Safe**
Keeping your personal information, money, and accounts safe and secure isn't as difficult as you might think. Take a moment to recognize the common red flags and Apple Pay scams listed above. Regularly check in to refresh your memory and update your knowledge as these scams evolve.
If you think you've been scammed:
- Cancelling a payment: Click through in the Apple Pay app or contact your bank.
- Changing passwords: Immediately change your Apple ID/logins and card information, then contact your bank to cancel and reissue your cards.
- Reporting fraud: Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or, in Europe, the relevant authorities via Europol.
Digital payment services and wallets make our lives easier, but they also make it quicker and easier to fall for scams. It pays to slow down and think twice when buying, selling, and reviewing messages online.