Fake Apple Pay text threatens $8,250 loss with 35-minute deadline

A Washington, D.C. resident received a bogus iMessage claiming Apple Pay had charged $8,250 and would auto-approve another identical charge in 35 minutes, prompting warnings about a scam.

Paul C. in Washington, D.C. received an iMessage that claimed an $8,250 Apple Pay charge had already occurred and warned that a second $8,250 transaction would auto-approve in 35 minutes unless he called an 855 number and quoted a case ID. The text, sent from a +44 number and signed as “Apple Pay Account Services,” used urgent wording, fabricated merchant names and contradictory statements about his contactless limit to pressure him.

Experts pointed out that the encryption label only indicates transmission security, not authenticity, and that legitimate alerts would direct users to official apps or the number on the back of the card. The guide recommends verifying any charge through the Wallet app or the card issuer’s app, never providing verification codes or remote-access access, and reporting the message to Apple and the FTC. Additional advice includes blocking the sender, forwarding the text to 7726, and monitoring credit if personal data was disclosed. The piece also promotes a free CyberGuy live class on protecting against AI-driven scams.