iTunes Web Scam Costs PayPal Users

NEW YORK (CBS) Numerous iTunes account holders have fallen victim to a global scam Tuesday that has left users looking for answers to unauthorized, fraudulent charges linked to their PayPal accounts, reports BBC News.

According to the BBC, experts say hackers infiltrated the users' accounts most likely through an e-mail scam known as phishing, rather than the flaw occurring in iTunes or Apple servers. Phishing is an identity theft scam in which e-mails are sent from hackers who pose as official businesses or organizations asking for confidential information such as account numbers, usernames and even social security numbers, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

The bogus iTunes charges ranged in amount; some claimed losses of a few dollars while others reported entire checking accounts being wiped out. "Someone hacked my iTunes/PayPal account and drained everything from my bank account," exclaimed one victim on TechCrunch.com. Astounded victims posted messages on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter lamenting and asking for any assistance to the unsuspected charges.

"My iTunes account just got hacked and someone made about $700 worth of purchases," stated one victim's Facebook post, according to the BBC. "I contacted PayPal and they said Apple has gotten so many attacks since June, they can barely keep up with reporting them all."

Fortunately, PayPal has vowed to reimburse its users for any unauthorized charges, reports the BBC.

Apple suggests that users who have been targeted change the passwords of their iTunes account and contact their financial institutions.