What should I do if I get an email about a $500 Apple purchase I did not make?
Answer
Treat the email as untrusted until you verify inside your real Apple account. On iPhone, go to Settings > your name > Media & Purchases > Purchase History (or check reportaproblem.apple.com while signed in). If no $500 charge appears, it is likely a phishing scam. If a real charge exists, change your Apple ID password, review payment methods, and report the purchase to Apple.
Before you start: stop right away if…
- Apple will not ask you to pay a “cancellation fee” with gift cards or ask for your password by email or cold call.
Follow these steps
Ignore email links and open Purchase History yourself
Do not use buttons in the email. On iPhone or iPad, open Settings, tap your name, then Media & Purchases > View Account > Purchase History. On a computer, go to reportaproblem.apple.com and sign in with the same Apple ID.
You should see: You see your real recent Apple media and App Store purchases.
Decide if the charge is real
Look for a purchase near $500, including Apple Gift Card entries. Also check the payment card or bank statement for an Apple charge with a similar amount and date.
You should see: Either no matching purchase exists (likely scam email) or a real unauthorized charge is confirmed.
If nothing appears, treat it as phishing
Delete or report the email as junk. If you already tapped a link and entered your password, change the Apple ID password immediately at appleid.apple.com, enable two-factor authentication if it is off, and review devices signed in to the account.
You should see: The phishing message is discarded and the Apple ID is secured if credentials may have been exposed.
If a real unauthorized purchase appears, report it
In Purchase History or reportaproblem.apple.com, select the purchase and follow Report a Problem. Change your Apple ID password, remove unfamiliar payment methods, and sign out unknown devices. Contact your bank if a card charge posted outside Apple’s process.
You should see: The purchase is reported through Apple’s official flow and the account payment methods look correct.
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Extra tips
What to look for: Whether Purchase History shows a matching amount, sender domain of the email, pressure language about gift cards, and unexpected password-reset or payment-method changes.
Before you change anything: Do not tap links or call phone numbers printed in the suspicious email. Do not buy or send gift cards to “cancel” a charge. Sign in only through Settings on your device or by typing appleid.apple.com / reportaproblem.apple.com yourself. Never share your Apple ID password or one-time codes.