Disney World visitor claims $40,000 credit card fraud occurred after losing Apple Watch

Posted:
in Apple Watch edited May 2022
A visitor to Disney World dubiously claims she is the victim of credit card fraud valued at over $40,000, after dropping her Apple Watch on a ride at Disney World.




While stories of lost or misplaced Apple devices are a regular occurrence, it is rare for device owners to lose significant sums from the loss. In one report about an April 13 trip to Disney World in Florida, an Apple Watch owner claims just that.

According to a report from the Orange County Sheriff's Office seen by WDW News Today, a park guest lost her Apple Watch on The Seas with Nemo & Friends at Epcot. At a point when the ride was at an elevated position, the guest dropped the Hermes edition Apple Watch through a grated floor on the ride.

The report claims the woman's husband got off the ride to try and get the Apple Watch back, prompting operators to stop the ride. A park Cast Member then instructed the couple to stay on the ride while it was in motion and assured them that it would be returned to their hotel.

After filing an incident report with Disney Guest Relations, the woman was advised that the staff didn't have the watch.

Complicating the incident is a claim that the woman started to receive fraud alerts for her credit card. She says that several credit cards were loaded onto the Apple Watch, including an American Express card with unlimited credit.

The fraud alerts allegedly totaled $40,000 in charges to her card. Hearing this, the woman then shut down the relevant credit cards.

A report was then made to the Orange County Sheriff's Office on April 14, with police telling the woman to talk to her card issuers to find out more about the fraudulent charges for a full investigation. The report doesn't reveal the name of the victim nor any details of where the money was supposedly spent.

While it is plausible that the woman did end up with $40,000 in charges to her credit card, it seems unlikely to have been caused by the lost Apple Watch.

As an Apple Watch automatically locks for security after it has been removed from a wrist, the correct PIN would be required to unlock it before a payment can be made. Unless the code is an extremely easily guessed number, it is improbable that the code could be entered correctly without any hints within a few tries.

There could be other explanations for the fraud taking place, such as traditional types involving the card details, cloning the card, and theft.

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 54
    Seems fishy to me. Sounds like someone is trying to get 40k in free purchases by claiming it was due to a lost Apple Watch.
    bloggerblogAlex1Nmagman1979ravnorodommac daddy zeeAnilu_777tdknox
  • Reply 2 of 54
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,801member
    The watch locks immediately after it leaves the owners wrist. So, unless they had a very easy passcode, I don't see how this could happen. 
    viclauyycjas99Alex1Nmagman1979Anilu_777tdknoxStrangeDays
  • Reply 3 of 54
    XedXed Posts: 2,519member
    As I've said before, if you're using Wallet on your Apple Watch don't use the default 4-digit PIN. Any other length PIN will require you to hit enter to authenticate and of course a longer PIN makes the number of potential guesses more involved.
    JFC_PAjas99Alex1Nmagman1979mac daddy zeeAnilu_777
  • Reply 4 of 54
    ITGUYINSDITGUYINSD Posts: 510member
    As I read through the article, almost everything made no sense unless these people are absolutely clueless.  Who doesn't have alerts setup on CC accounts that notify you when charges are made?  Did they use "1111" as the PIN for the watch?  Did they ignore every best practice for keeping your information secure?  When does "theft" become negligence on the victim's part?

    Unlimited credit limit?  Sounds like they have more money than brains.  I know AMEX and most banks are very cautious of unusual activity.  Something is fishy.
    edited May 2022 Alex1Nmagman1979Anilu_777
  • Reply 5 of 54
    XedXed Posts: 2,519member
    ITGUYINSD said:
    As I read through the article, almost everything made no sense unless these people are absolutely clueless.  Who doesn't have alerts setup on CC accounts that notify you when charges are made?  Did they use "1111" as the PIN for the watch?  Did they ignore every best practice for keeping your information secure?  When does "theft" become negligence on the victim's part?

    Unlimited credit limit?  Sounds like they have more money than brains.  I know AMEX and most banks are very cautious of unusual activity.  Something is fishy.
    1111 isn't the only common PIN that people use, it wouldn't take long to try a lot of them as I don't think the Watch has a wipe after 10 tries. They do have a 1 minute wait after 5 incorrect attempts, but that means you can through 10 common passcodes in under 1.5 minutes.

    It's also possible that someone saw them put in a PIN on their Watch or iPhone previously. Regardless, the Watch with Wallet is a weak point in security so people need to take more precautions so these things are less likely to happen. (Note that I wrote less likely, not impossible—these things will still happen.)
    edited May 2022 Alex1Nmac daddy zee
  • Reply 6 of 54
    geekmeegeekmee Posts: 629member
    I don’t think so!…
    Where does it say she charged or claimed it was Apple’s fault?
    Can you say? Click-Bait
    Sorry AppleInsider, slow news day or not, a few more stories like this and I won’t bother… Geesh!
    edited May 2022 Alex1NiOS_Guy80magman1979tdknox
  • Reply 7 of 54
    JFC_PAJFC_PA Posts: 932member
    Tourist areas are rife with card scanners and general credit card cloners: odds are the watch was irrelevant for all the reasons mentioned. It’s why especially for travel it’s either ApplePay or cash for me. And NO ONE is ever handed my card to carry it out of my sight. 

    Unattended gas pumps get card scanners put on them and travelers in a hurry won’t notice. 
    magman1979mac daddy zeeAnilu_777
  • Reply 8 of 54
    bbhbbh Posts: 134member
    Xed said:
    ITGUYINSD said:
    As I read through the article, almost everything made no sense unless these people are absolutely clueless.  Who doesn't have alerts setup on CC accounts that notify you when charges are made?  Did they use "1111" as the PIN for the watch?  Did they ignore every best practice for keeping your information secure?  When does "theft" become negligence on the victim's part?

    Unlimited credit limit?  Sounds like they have more money than brains.  I know AMEX and most banks are very cautious of unusual activity.  Something is fishy.
    1111 isn't the only common PIN that people use, it wouldn't take long to try a lot of them as I don't think the Watch has a wipe after 10 tries. They do have a 1 minute wait after 5 incorrect attempts, but that means you can through 10 common passcodes in under 1.5 minutes.

    It's also possible that someone saw them put in a PIN on their Watch or iPhone previously. Regardless, the Watch with Wallet is a weak point in security so people need to take more precautions so these things are less likely to happen. (Note that I wrote less likely, not impossible—these things will still happen.)
    Yes, the Apple Watch DOES have an "erase data" after 10 failed login attempts. I just activated mine.  :) I am on version 8.5.1.
    edited May 2022 appleinsideruserAlex1Nmagman1979ravnorodommac daddy zee
  • Reply 9 of 54
    maltzmaltz Posts: 453member
    Unless the code is an extremely easily guessed number...

    Yeah, that NEVER happens...  lol  Sure, it's the user being an idiot, not Apple's fault, but this article is way too dismissive of the idea that a lost Apple watch can result in fraud.
    Alex1N
  • Reply 10 of 54
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    If fraud alerts were raised then no real problem, right?  Make sure your Watch is on properly next time lady.
    jas99Alex1N
  • Reply 11 of 54
    wonkothesanewonkothesane Posts: 1,717member
    https://cybernews.com/best-password-managers/most-common-passwords/

    Who posts here, does not count as an average user. And as soon as your IT Dept requires stringer password chances of Findling a post-it with the PWD rise astronomically.
    edited May 2022 Alex1NDAalsethJFC_PA
  • Reply 12 of 54
    bloggerblogbloggerblog Posts: 2,462member
    Fraud alerts from your bank need validation and re requesting the transaction. So once they see that txt on their iPhone they could’ve easily denied the transaction and called their bank. Apart from all the other security measures along with the bank’s makes this scenario impossible.
    Alex1N
  • Reply 13 of 54
    bageljoeybageljoey Posts: 2,004member
    Can you make remote purchases using an Apple Watch?  I’ve only ever used mine in-store. I imagine there would be surveillance video…
     
  • Reply 14 of 54
    XedXed Posts: 2,519member
    Fraud alerts from your bank need validation and re requesting the transaction. So once they see that txt on their iPhone they could’ve easily denied the transaction and called their bank. Apart from all the other security measures along with the bank’s makes this scenario impossible.
    That depends on the level of suspected fraud and the financial institution. I've had fraud alerts via email and phone calls where they denied the potential charges first, and I've had others that allowed them to go through before realizing there was an issue, at which point I was contacted.

    I've only ever had one credit card company send me an email after I've made a valid transaction with which they've approved to ask me if it was a valid transaction. All my others deny then contact me. Regardless, it's not like I'd be on the line if the approved it.

    Bottom line: protect your valuables, especially if those aren't currently tangible and can easily be better protected with some security options.


    ITGUYINSDAlex1N
  • Reply 15 of 54
    I work for a card issuer and know that we work closely with Apple when our card members attempt to claim fraud like this. I find it hard to believe that anyone could run around tapping an Apple Watch and rack up $40k worth of charges in a short enough period of time to avoid a dead battery. Would love to see what the investigation turns up.
    edited May 2022 ITGUYINSDAlex1Nlollivermagman1979mwhiteravnorodomtdknoxbloggerblogDBSync
  • Reply 16 of 54
    ITGUYINSDITGUYINSD Posts: 510member
    Xed said:
    ITGUYINSD said:
    As I read through the article, almost everything made no sense unless these people are absolutely clueless.  Who doesn't have alerts setup on CC accounts that notify you when charges are made?  Did they use "1111" as the PIN for the watch?  Did they ignore every best practice for keeping your information secure?  When does "theft" become negligence on the victim's part?

    Unlimited credit limit?  Sounds like they have more money than brains.  I know AMEX and most banks are very cautious of unusual activity.  Something is fishy.
    1111 isn't the only common PIN that people use, it wouldn't take long to try a lot of them as I don't think the Watch has a wipe after 10 tries. They do have a 1 minute wait after 5 incorrect attempts, but that means you can through 10 common passcodes in under 1.5 minutes.

    It's also possible that someone saw them put in a PIN on their Watch or iPhone previously. Regardless, the Watch with Wallet is a weak point in security so people need to take more precautions so these things are less likely to happen. (Note that I wrote less likely, not impossible—these things will still happen.)
    Who cares?  1111 or 1234 or 2468? Anyone who used easy guessable PIN's or patterns is asking for trouble.  Negligence was my point.  If you can guess it easy, you deserve whatever comes your way when you lose a device.
    Alex1N
  • Reply 17 of 54
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,382member
    Isn’t the limit for Apple Pay like $100 or $200 tops? They would have had to make 200-400 transactions. None of which would have been flagged, noticed, or caused the card to be blocked? Bullshit. 
    magman1979ravnorodomDBSync
  • Reply 18 of 54
    macguimacgui Posts: 2,350member
    geekmee said:
    I don’t think so!…
    Where does it say she charged or claimed it was Apple’s fault?
    Can you say? Click-Bait
    Sorry AppleInsider, slow news day or not, a few more stories like this and I won’t bother… Geesh!
    Pull your head out.  Where does it say that AI says she blames Apple. The headline is pretty clear. SHE's effectively saying "I lost my Apple Watch and got $40,000 worth of credit card fraud'. Or "I'm not blaming Apple, but I didn't get any credit card fraud until after I lost my Apple Watch".

    Maybe she's not blaming Apple, and certainly AI didn't say she was. What makes this news is the mention of the loss of Apple gear and a subsequent allegation of credit card fraud. As stated in the article the auto-locking of the Watch should prevent access.

    So was her PIN an easy 1-2-3-4 or 1-1-1-1 or 0-0-0-0 whatever? Was her password brute forced/luckily guessed? This is basically FUD on the part of the original media sources. "OMG! Apple devices responsible for massive fraud!!"

    You have any doubt the general media wasn't going for click-bait? Did they unlike AI mention why this seemed dubious? No. THAT doesn't generate clicks. APPLES' FAULT does, and it's implied. There was no mention of preventative measures in the original article that AI referenced.

    Anybody owning digital devices with financial information should take notice of lessons to be learned: don't use a simple four-digit password, there are options, and don't fiddle with your pricey Apple Hemrès Watch (or any expensive kit) while on a freakin' ride.

    I use a 6-digit PIN and may move to an alpha-numeric PIN. Or a 7-digit PIN. AI readers are not 'typical' (well except for trolls) and generally are already aware of the pitfalls and potential safeguards. But the casual media reader will only see stuff like the WDW article which offers zero help. AI mentioned them. Maybe WDW should mention this article.

    https://wdwnt.com/2022/05/guest-drops-apple-watch-on-epcot-ride-jumps-out-to-get-it-then-has-40000-in-fraudulent-credit-card-charges/
  • Reply 19 of 54
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,858administrator
    geekmee said:
    I don’t think so!…
    Where does it say she charged or claimed it was Apple’s fault?
    Can you say? Click-Bait
    Sorry AppleInsider, slow news day or not, a few more stories like this and I won’t bother… Geesh!
    At no point did Malcolm say that she claimed it was Apple's fault. Not in the headline, not in the body text, nowhere.

    If you knew from the jump you wouldn't like it, you didn't have to read it. And, if you don't like it, that doesn't make it clickbait.

    As a reminder, AppleInsider is for everybody, and this piece discusses the details of the Apple Watch -- and no others we saw today did. 
    Xedravnorodomfirelock13485gatorguy
  • Reply 20 of 54
    p-dogp-dog Posts: 131member
    I am calling bovine feces on this person’s story. I do know a lot of people whom I tried in vain to convince not to use a simple four digit passcode such as 1111 or 1234. They tend to be GEN Xers or older and “couldn’t be bothered with the finicky, difficult aspects of technology“ to choose a better six digit pass code. These are also the people who never know their Apple ID password. Very frustrating!
    magman1979
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