Apple blocked $2.2B in fraud

Apple said this week that its App Store stopped more than $2.2 billion in potentially fraudulent transactions during 2025, according to a company report published in May. The same report said Apple has prevented more than $11.2 billion in App Store fraud over the past six years. Apple also said it rejected more than 2 million problematic app submissions last year and blocked more than 1.1 million fraudulent account creation attempts. (apple.com) The figures are part of Apple’s annual accounting of how it polices the App Store, a marketplace the company says spans 175 regions. (apple.com) Apple framed the numbers as evidence of the scale of screening required across app review, payments, account creation and discovery systems. The report arrives as Apple’s control of the App Store remains under legal and regulatory scrutiny in multiple markets. ### Where does the $2.2 billion number come from? Apple’s May 2026 Newsroom post said the $2.2 billion figure covers “potentially fraudulent transactions” blocked on the App Store during calendar year 2025. The company said that brings its six-year total to more than $11.2 billion. (apple.com) The 2025 total was higher than the more than $2 billion Apple said it prevented in 2024, according to the company’s prior annual fraud update published in 2025. Apple did not, in the summary cited here, break out how much of the blocked activity came from payment fraud, stolen cards, account abuse or other scam patterns. ### How many apps and accounts did Apple remove or block? (apple.com) Apple said it rejected more than 2 million “problematic” app submissions in 2025 before they reached the App Store. The company also said it blocked more than 1.1 million fraudulent account creations. Security Week, citing Apple’s report, said those actions were part of a review system that combines automated detection with human review. (apple.com) AppleInsider also reported that Apple described its fraud-prevention process as relying on both artificial intelligence and human reviewers. ### What does Apple say it is screening for? Apple said the App Store review and fraud teams are trying to stop malicious software, fake reviews, deceptive apps, payment fraud and abusive developer accounts. (apple.com) The company said those controls are aimed at protecting users and preserving what it described as a fair marketplace for developers. (apple.com) BleepingComputer, summarizing Apple’s report, said the company tied the enforcement effort to a broader campaign against scam apps and bad actors seeking to distribute harmful software. That places the fraud number inside a wider moderation system rather than a payments-only filter. (securityweek.com) ### Why is Apple publishing this now? Apple published the report two days after announcing new accessibility features and less than three weeks before its Worldwide Developers Conference, which the company said begins on June 8. The timing also follows continued challenges to Apple’s App Store rules and business practices. The annual fraud report has become one of Apple’s regular defenses of the App Store model. (apple.com) In its 2025 version, Apple said the store had prevented more than $9 billion in fraudulent transactions over five years, including more than $2 billion in 2024. This year’s report extends that series with 2025 data. ### What should readers watch next? June 8 is Apple’s next major public milestone, when the company is scheduled to open WWDC 2026, according to its Newsroom page. (bleepingcomputer.com) Any further detail on App Store policy, developer tools or platform security is likely to surface there or in follow-up App Store documentation from Apple. (apple.com 1) (apple.com 2)