How to Stay Safe and Avoid Frauds Using Apple Pay?

In today’s digital era, we are always looking for convenience to make our lives a lot easier. One of which is Apple Pay which serves as a digital wallet and allows you to make or receive payments quickly on your phone, make a payment online without entering your card info, and pay at a brick-and-mortar store without carrying your card around physically.

With 383 million users worldwide, you may ask, “Does Walmart take Apple Pay?”. Although most top stores like Walgreens, Costco, CVS, Target, and Trader Joe’s use Apple Pay, Walmart only accepts digital payments through its own Walmart Pay.

With convenience comes the risk of fraud. In this article, we’ll discuss the common Apple Pay scams and how you can stay safe and avoid them.

The Most Common Apple Pay Scams

Before learning how to protect yourself from scams, you need to know the most common scams. Here are a few that you should know.

1. Unsecured Wi-Fi

Using public Wi-Fi may seem like a great convenience to you. However, it may expose you to fraud and scams.

If you make changes to your card or add your card details while using unsecured public Wi-Fi, the cybercriminal can get access to your sensitive financial information and make unauthorized purchases.

2. Phishing

A scammer may send you an email or text claiming that you have won a prize, someone made changes to your account, or even confirm a payment you made.

These texts or emails will be from a fake number or dummy website instead of the official Apple Pay website, but may have a similar domain name.

Some people fall for these scams and enter their confidential financial information and hand it over to scammers.

3. Unsolicited Payments

Someone may claim that they accidentally transferred money to your Apple Pay, and they may request a return using a stolen credit card.

In addition, you may receive a text from a company or a person that seems legit (even with an “official” logo) to make a payment through Apple Pay.

4. Sending Money Without Receiving the Item

This scam is also quite common with Apple Pay users. You might come across an item online that you really like, which is mostly on social media. They will ask you to pay via Apple Pay to confirm your order.

What those scammers do is take your money via Apple Pay and simply block you, and you never receive the item you paid for.

Tips for Avoiding Frauds and Scams Using Apple Pay

Although Apple Pay is pretty simple to use, you need to be cautious when using it. Here are some practical tips that will help you prevent fraud and any trouble down the road.

1. Engage in Transactions with People You Know

When someone asks for a payment using your friend’s name, you must confirm their identity, as scammers pretend to be someone they are not to get money from you. You can actually contact your friend and ask if they have requested payment from you.

Furthermore, if you have to make a payment to a brand that you want to shop from, you must confirm its legitimacy first.

2. Report an Issue to Apple Pay

If you have received a payment request, it’s important to report the issue to Apple Pay, so they can look into it and take action. In addition, you should immediately block the person trying to get in touch with you.

3. Always Double-Check Payments

Make it a habit always to double-check payments before they are marked complete. This will allow you to ensure that you’re paying the right person the right amount and aren’t paying someone else.

4. Never Accept Payments Sent “Accidentally”

At times, scammers might want to get money from you by saying that they sent a payment “by mistake”. You should immediately tell them to cancel the payment and never accept payment from them.

5. Accept Payments Manually

To prevent receiving payments from scammers, Apple Pay gives you the option to “manually accept payments”. Make sure you aren’t opted in to “automatically accept payments” to always review payments before accepting them.

Conclusion

Since there’s always a risk of fraud in the digital world if you’re careless with the usage, Apple Pay may pose the risk of phishing, cyberattacks, and fraudulent transactions. So being more vigilant and learning ways like those mentioned in this article will help keep scammers at bay. This way, you can stay safe and enjoy the perks and convenience of Apple Pay.   

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