App Store Security: Apple stops $2B in fraud in 2024 alone, $9B over 5 years – Source: securityaffairs.com

Apple blocked over $9B in fraud in 5 years, including $2B in 2024, stopping scams from deceptive apps to fake payment schemes on the App Store.

In the past five years alone, Apple says it has blocked over $9 billion in fraudulent transactions, more than $2 billion of that in 2024, highlighting its ongoing efforts to keep users safe.

Since its 2008 launch, Apple’s App Store has grown into a trusted platform for users and a thriving space for developers. With over 813 million weekly visits, the App Store remains a secure and popular hub for apps worldwide.

The tech giant shared additional figures highlighting its extensive efforts to protect both users and the developer community.

In 2024, the company removed over 146,000 developer accounts and blocked 139,000 enrollments for fraudulent activities. It also rejected 711 million fake customer accounts and deactivated nearly 129 million customer accounts to stop spam, scams, and manipulation. Beyond the App Store, Apple blocked over 10,000 pirate apps and halted 4.6 million attempts to install unauthorized apps.

“Before any app makes its way onto the App Store, it is vetted by a member of Apple’s App Review team, all of whom are deeply familiar with the App Review Guidelines, and focused on ensuring apps meet Apple’s standards for quality and safety. On average, this team reviews nearly 150,000 app submissions each week, helping bring new apps and updates to the App Store. Last year, App Review helped more than 220,000 developers publish their first app on the App Store.” reads the announcement published by the company. “App Review involves both human review and automated processes to detect and take action on apps that are suspected to be potentially harmful to users.”

In 2024, the company experts reviewed over 7.7 million App Store submissions and rejected more than 1.9 million for violating standards on security, privacy, and user experience. Its App Review team blocked over 37,000 apps tied to fraud and took down 43,000 with hidden or undocumented features. The IT giant also rejected over 320,000 scam or spam apps and removed 17,000 bait-and-switch apps. Privacy remained a top focus, with 400,000 apps rejected for violating user data policies.

In 2024, Apple cracked down on manipulation in the App Store by removing over 143 million fake ratings and reviews from the 1.2 billion it processed. It also took down 7,400 apps from charts and nearly 9,500 from search results for deceptive tactics like using bots or paid boosts. On the payments side, Apple blocked over $2 billion in fraud, banned 1.6 million accounts, and flagged 4.7 million stolen cards. Tools like Apple Pay and StoreKit kept 420,000+ apps and their users secure.

“Apple will continue to build on its commitment to provide users with the safest and most secure experience on the App Store, which includes empowering them with resources to get help and report suspected fraud. Learn more about staying safe on the App Store at support.apple.com/en-us/122712.” concludes the report.

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Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs – hacking, Apple store)