Billed, but you didn’t buy?
Did you receive an unexpected bill for an app or service you didn’t buy?
Confirm the payment actually happened, as there are phishing messages falsely claiming to be bills, but these messages are seeking to obtain your Apple Account login credentials! They’re not actually bills!
Here are the four usual causes, and what to do about each.
1️⃣ Are you in a Family Sharing group, and with shared purchases enabled?
If so, check with the others in the group, and their Apple Account purchases. This purchase should show on the purchaser’s Apple Account, and also on the shared payment method account.
Optionally, for Family Sharing groups with younger members:
Do not share an Apple Account, and this for various reasons including purchase responsibility.
2️⃣ Is the purchase shown in your Apple Account billing and subscriptions, and you’re not in Family Sharing?
If so, you have an Apple Account breach, or a passcode breach, or both. You’ll want to re-secure your Apple Account, reset your passcode, and request a refund from Apple.
- Subscriptions and Billing - Official Apple Support
- If you think your Apple Account has been compromised - Apple Support
- Request a refund for apps or content that you bought from Apple - Apple Support
Apple may or may not grant a refund, and at their sole discretion.
Unfortunately, sharing an Apple Account password or device passcode can get expensive and messy. Here is how to move from a not-recommended shared Apple Account to the recommended individual accounts:
- Make sure that each family member has a unique Apple Account - Apple Support
- What is Family Sharing? - Apple Support
- How to “unshare” an Apple ID - Apple Community
- Require a password for purchases in the App Store and other Apple services - Apple Support
3️⃣ If the purchase is not shown on your Apple Account, and is shown on your payment card provider’s billing details?
If so, notify your payment provider. Your payment provider will then resolve this as appropriate. This case is between you and your payment provider. Not between you and Apple. You’re not going to be notifying Apple here. (Not unless Apple Card is your payment provider. If so, report it to Apple Card support.)
This can be some sort of payment fraud, and can be somebody else is using your payment card details on their Apple Account, or potentially the merchant is billing when you believe they shouldn’t be.
Contact your payment provider, and report this.
It is not your role to report this to Apple. (Not unless your payment provider is Apple Card, then report this to Apple Card support.) Your payment provider will take appropriate the steps, and will notify Apple as appropriate.
How did your particular payment card details get compromised? It varies. Widely :
4️⃣ Otherwise…
The message you’re reading is likely some sort of spam or account phishing, or somebody mistyped your email address somewhere. This if there’s no indication of an unrecognized or matching billing amount on your payment card, or on your Apple Account.
