Instead of combatting iTunes gift card fraud, Apple is “knowing[ly] or reckless[ly] enabling” and profiting from it, according to a lawsuit filed against the company in the Northern California District Court.
The class-action suit comes from law firms Scott + Scott and Cafferty Clobes Meriwether & Sprengel, and has been reported on by AppleInsider.
According to the lawyers, Apple understands the way the scams work and has many opportunities to thwart them. But since Apple normally takes 30 percent of everything spent in the iTunes Store and App Store, the company has an incentive to ignore these scams, they allege.
Apple has a gift card fraud support page offering advice and warnings of common scam behaviour.
Perhaps it goes without saying, but you should never pay anyone (other than Apple itself) for anything using an Apple gift card. The cards can only be used to buy things from a specific store. If someone calls you and claims that you need to pay with a gift card, regardless of the circumstances, you should hang up immediately. You should also report the number to the police.
This article originally appeared on Macworld Sweden. Translation by David Price.