Apple has prevented over $9 billion in potentially fraudulent transactions on the App Store over the last five years, including more than $2 billion in 2024 alone, the company said in its latest App Store Fraud Prevention Analysis. The report outlines the scale of Apple's ongoing efforts to combat financial fraud, fake accounts, deceptive apps, and privacy violations on its digital marketplace.
With more than 813 million users visiting the App Store weekly, Apple says the platform remains a secure space for app discovery and digital commerce. Let's take a look at Apple's safeguarding in numbers.
Fraud prevention by the numbers
In 2024, Apple:
- Blocked over $2 billion in fraudulent transactions
- Rejected nearly 2 million app submissions for failing security or quality standards
- Terminated more than 146,000 developer accounts over fraud concerns
- Rejected over 711 million customer account creations and deactivated nearly 129 million accounts suspected of malicious activity
- Removed 37,000 apps found to be engaging in fraudulent activity
- Detected and blocked over 10,000 pirated apps from unauthorized storefronts
- Prevented 4.6 million illicit app installations outside approved marketplaces
App review process
Apple's App Review team, which vets an average of 150,000 submissions per week, reviewed more than 7.7 million apps in 2024. Of these, more than 1.9 million were rejected for violations related to privacy, security, or content integrity.
Fraudulent developers often attempt to bypass App Review using hidden features or bait-and-switch tactics. In response, Apple rejected:
- 43,000+ submissions containing hidden or undocumented features
- 320,000+ apps that misled users or copied others
- 17,000+ apps for bait-and-switch behavior
- 400,000 apps for privacy violations
Manipulation of ratings and reviews is another common tactic. Apple processed more than 1.2 billion reviews and ratings in 2024, removing over 143 million deemed fraudulent. Additionally, 7,400 apps were removed from charts, and nearly 9,500 apps were delisted from search results to protect App Store integrity.
Financial and account safeguards
To protect user payments, Apple's systems identified and blocked 4.7 million stolen credit cards and banned over 1.6 million accounts from transacting again. Its secure payment systems, including Apple Pay and StoreKit, are now used by hundreds of thousands of apps to process purchases securely.
As fraudulent tactics grow increasingly sophisticated, Apple says it will continue enhancing its tools, processes, and developer education initiatives to maintain user safety and ensure a fair environment for legitimate app creators.
The company also urges users to report suspected fraud and explore built-in App Store tools to manage subscriptions, request refunds, and protect personal data.
