Skip to main content

Apple Agrees to Settle Lawsuit That Alleged It Kept Stolen Funds From iTunes Gift Card Scams

Apple has agreed to settle a lawsuit accusing the company of knowingly letting scammers exploit its gift cards, and keep stolen funds for itself.

According to a filing on Wednesday in federal court in San Jose, California, Apple and the plaintiffs have agreed on material settlement terms after working with a mediator.

They are drafting a formal settlement to be presented to US District Judge Edward Davila for preliminary approval.

Apple and lawyers for the plaintiffs did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The scam involves fraudsters who instill panic or urgency by insisting by phone that victims buy App Store and iTunes gift cards or Apple Store gift cards in order to pay for taxes, hospital and utility bills, bail and debt collection.

Victims are then told to share the codes on the backs of the cards, despite a warning on the cards that reads: "Do not share your code with anyone you do not know."

According to the complaint, Apple would typically deposit only 70 percent of the stolen funds into fraudsters' bank accounts, and keep 30 percent for itself as a "commission" for knowingly converting stolen codes into dollars.

Victims likely lost "hundreds of millions of dollars" in the scam, the complaint said.

The lawsuit covered anyone in the United States who from 2015 through July 31, 2020 bought gift cards redeemable on iTunes or the App Store, provided codes to fraudsters, and did not receive refunds from Apple.

In June 2022, Davila rejected Apple's bid to dismiss the lawsuit.

He said the plaintiffs sufficiently alleged that the Cupertino, California-based company's effort to disclaim liability, even after victims claimed they were scammed, was unconscionable.

The case is Barrett et al v Apple Inc et al, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 20-04812.

© Thomson Reuters 2023

Samsung launched the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 alongside the Galaxy Tab S9 series and Galaxy Watch 6 series at its first Galaxy Unpacked event in South Korea. We discuss the company's new devices and more on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.


from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/TCrcwaB
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Itel P55 With Dual Rear Cameras, 5,000mAh Battery Launched in India: Price, Specifications

Itel P55 5G was launched in India on Tuesday and it claims to be the cheapest 5G smartphone in the country. The phone is powered by an octa-core Dimensity chipset and supports wired fast charging. It carries an AI-powered dual rear camera unit and is offered in a single storage variant along with two colour options. Itel India also introduced the Itel S23+ alongside, and is a budget smartphone with a curved AMOLED display. The company is extending a two-year warranty on the handsets and is also offering free screen replacement within 100 days of purchase. Itel P55 5G price in India, availability Offered in Blue and Green colour options, the singular 8GB + 128GB variant of the Itel P55 5G is priced at Rs. 9,999. The phone will be available for purchase via Amazon India starting October 4. Itel P55 5G specifications, features Sporting a 6.6-inch HD+ (1600 x 700 pixels) display, the dual nano SIM-supported Itel P55 comes with a refresh rate of 90Hz. The phone is powered by an octa-co...
Post a Comment
Read more

Redmi K60 Cooling Case Said to Reduce Maximum Temperature by 4 Degrees Celsius

Redmi K60 series was launched in China on Tuesday. This flagship lineup includes the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 series-powered Redmi K60 and Redmi K60 Pro, and the Redmi K60E featuring a MediaTek Dimensity 8200 SoC. They are equipped with a 17-layer heat liquid cooling VC dissipation system that is said to offer up to 15 percent improved thermal conductivity than the previous generation. Xiaomi has also released a cooling case for the Redmi K60 series which is supposedly capable of further reducing the maximum temperature by up to 4 degrees Celsius. According to a post by a digital blogger on Weibo, the Redmi K60 Series Ice Cooling Case can reduce the handset's maximum temperature by up to 4 degrees Celsius. This case is available to purchase for CNY 79 (roughly Rs. 1,000). Xiaomi says that this cooling case is equipped with a phase-changing material that purportedly switches between solid and liquid states depending on the smartphone's temperature to dissipate heat efficiently....
Post a Comment
Read more

Samsung Galaxy S24 Series Could Come With Exynos SoC in Europe, Galaxy S24 Ultra Storage Options Tipped

Samsung will reportedly launch the successor to the Galaxy S23 series early next year. While the smartphones are still months away from their debut, several rumours and leaks have revealed expected specifications and features of the purported Galaxy S24 series. The Galaxy S24 series will likely comprise a Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24+, and a Galaxy S24 Ultra. Now, details of the phones' processor and their storage options has been leaked online. The phones are tipped to get an Exynos processor in Europe. A new leak by tipster Ice Universe (@UniverseIce) revealed that the Galaxy S24 series will ship in Europe with the Exynos 2400 SoC with cores clocked at a speed of 3.16GHz, 2.9GHz, 2.6GHz, and 1.95GHz. Additionally, the tipster went on to reveal some more details about the purported smartphones. The Galaxy S24+ is said to come with a WQHD+ screen with 3120x1440 resolution whereas all three models will offer a peak brightness of 2,500 nits. The tipster has also teased the renders of...
Post a Comment
Read more