Apple Pay Scam Text Claims Fake 8250 Charge With 35 Minute Deadline

A Washington, D.C., man identified as Paul C. got a text that said Apple Pay had already charged him $8,250 and that a second $8,250 charge would auto-approve in 35 minutes. The message told him to call an 855 number, quote a case code, and cancel the pending charge by phone.

Fox News Digital CyberGuy Kurt Knutsson reviewed the text after Paul refused the callback and reported it. The sender number began with +44, the country code for the United Kingdom, while the message claimed to come from Apple Pay Account Services and directed a U.S. reader to a separate toll-free line.

The wording used fear on purpose. It called the event a catastrophic fraud event, said the account had hemorrhaged money, and claimed contactless limits had been crushed to zero. At the same time it warned a second large charge would still go through. The alleged merchants were described in vague terms, including an agricultural processing surplus in Stockton, California, and a payday lending chain in Modesto, rather than real store names.

Knutsson said those details are classic callback bait. Once someone dials the number, a scammer can ask for card numbers, Apple Account email, one-time codes, or remote-access software. The Federal Trade Commission has warned that fake support agents may steal credentials or push victims to move money into so-called safe accounts.

Apple and banks do not ask people to kill charges by calling a number from an unexpected text. The safer path is to open the Wallet app, select the card, review Transactions, then check the bank or card issuer app. If something looks wrong, call the number printed on the physical card.

Before deleting a fake message, save a screenshot with the sender info. On iPhone, report the text as junk or spam, block the sender, forward it to 7726 (SPAM), and email the screenshot to reportphishing@apple.com. The FTC also takes reports at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

If you already called, hang up. If you shared a card number, contact the bank through its official app or the number on the card. If you shared an Apple password or verification code, change the password, confirm two-factor authentication is on, and review devices on the account. If remote-access software was installed, disconnect from the internet, remove the tool, and run a full security scan from a trusted device.