Apple: unauthorized charge

Collect

• statement line with apple.com/bill
• amount and date
• Apple receipt emails

Steps

1. Sign in at reportaproblem.apple.com and search for the amount. Apple may group several purchases into one charge. Ask Family Sharing members if they bought it.

   OnlineReport a Problem (refunds for App Store, iTunes, Apple Books and Apple subscriptions) Sign-in required

2. If the charge is a purchase you did not make, request a refund there and cancel any recurring subscription.

   OnlineReport a Problem (refunds for App Store, iTunes, Apple Books and Apple subscriptions) Sign-in required

3. If someone else may use your Apple Account, change the password. If the card itself is compromised, ask the card issuer for a new card and a dispute.

More contacts for this issue

Facts you can cite

• Policy

  A charge from apple.com/bill can be for apps, subscriptions, music, movies or other Apple purchases, and Apple might group several purchases into one bill.

  Source: support.apple.com, verified 2026-10-12

Rules in force

• Restore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act (ROSCA) negative option requirements
  15 U.S.C. 8401-8405

  A seller that charges consumers online through a negative option feature (for example an automatic renewal or a free trial that converts to paid) must clearly disclose all material terms before taking billing information, get the consumer's express informed consent before charging, and provide simple mechanisms to stop recurring charges. The FTC enforces ROSCA.

  Source: law.cornell.edu, verified 2026-10-12

  4 citable points

  • Policy

    Before obtaining the consumer's billing information, the seller must provide text that "clearly and conspicuously discloses all material terms of the transaction".

    Source: law.cornell.edu, verified 2026-10-12

  • Policy

    The seller must obtain "a consumer's express informed consent before charging the consumer's credit card, debit card, bank account, or other financial account".

    Source: law.cornell.edu, verified 2026-10-12

  • Policy

    A post-transaction third-party seller may not charge a consumer for an online sale unless it discloses the material terms and gets express informed consent, including the consumer's full account number, before charging. An initial merchant may not pass a customer's account number or other billing information to such a seller.

    Source: law.cornell.edu, verified 2026-10-12

  • Process

    A ROSCA violation is treated as a violation of an FTC rule on unfair or deceptive acts or practices, and the FTC enforces ROSCA with its FTC Act powers and penalties. Report violations to the FTC.

    Source: law.cornell.edu, verified 2026-10-12

If that fails, escalate

Go up one step at a time. Keep the reference numbers and dates from each contact.

1. Customer service

   ChatGet Support (chat, call back or repair booking by product or topic)

2. Supervisor

   PhoneApple Support (United States), including AppleCare +1-800-275-2273

3. Written complaint

   MailApple corporate address Apple, One Apple Park Way, Cupertino, CA 95014

4. Card or bank dispute

   Fair Credit Billing Act billing-error and purchase-dispute rights (Regulation Z)

   Electronic Fund Transfer Act error resolution and unauthorized-transfer liability (Regulation E)

5. State agency

   Your state’s attorney general. Find it in the list of state agencies (also as JSON: states/<code>.json, for example states/ny.json).

6. Public complaint

   RegulatorBetter Business Bureau

Watch out

Related

• Unauthorized charge at other companies
• How Apple complaints actually go (dossier, checked 2026-10-12)
• Retail and online shopping — how complaints work
• Apple: refund request
• Apple: cancellation problem
• Apple: warranty claim