Apple is once again in the spotlight. This time, a class-action lawsuit alleging that Apple gift cards are unsafe and susceptible to fraud. The lawsuit is being led by Jessica Pinczewski, who has filed a class-action lawsuit against Apple Inc. and its subsidiary Apple Value Services LLC. According to the lawsuit, Apple gift cards are unsafe and susceptible to fraud. Apple warns about this on its official website.
Plaintiff Jessica Pinczewski filed a class-action Apple Gift Card lawsuit against Apple Inc.
Let’s remember that deceptive advertising is also a punishable offense. It’s an issue that’s sometimes invoked in an attempt to drive home the real problem. Plaintiff Jessica Pinczewski filed a class-action Apple Gift Card lawsuit against Apple Inc. and its subsidiary Apple Value Services LLC on September 11 in a California federal court, alleging violations of state and federal consumer laws. For its part, Apple warns its users of potential scams. According to the company’s official website, Apple Gift Cards can only be used to purchase Apple products and services. If someone asks us to use Apple Gift Cards to purchase products that Apple doesn’t sell, we could be the target of a scam.
If at any point we are asked to make payments related to these, we may be a target of fraud
Likewise, Apple’s official website mentions items that cannot be purchased with a gift card, warning of the potential purchases scammers might request. Bills cannot be paid, namely: utilities, debt collection, hospital bills, etc. Nor can government fees such as taxes, immigration, or social security. Therefore, if at any point we are asked to make payments related to these, we may be a target of fraud.
Apple asks that users of these cards not provide documentation or private information
In this particular case, Pinczewski claims to have purchased two $50 Apple gift cards from Target in June 2023 as a graduation gift. However, when the recipients attempted to use them, they were told the funds had already been redeemed and the cards were worthless, he alleges. Apple asks that users of these cards not provide documentation or private information. From the official website, they state: Do not provide the numbers on the back of a gift card to someone you don’t know well or at all. When scammers obtain those numbers, the funds on the card could be spent before you can contact law enforcement or Apple support.
Apple: If you have more questions or think you have been the victim of an Apple gift card scam, contact Apple support online
As for Pinczewski’s case, Apple refused to refund the money or provide any information about who redeemed the cards, the lawsuit says. The class action lawsuit alleges that Apple has known about this issue for years but has done nothing to fix it. Pinczewski accuses Apple of failing to implement reasonable security measures to protect the personal identification numbers (PINs) associated with the gift cards. On Apple’s official website they say: “If you have more questions or think you have been the victim of an Apple gift card scam, contact Apple support online.”
Pinczewski accuses Apple of failing to implement reasonable security measures to protect the personal identification numbers (PINs) associated with gift cards. In addition, in another recent Apple lawsuit, two authors are suing Apple for allegedly using pirated books to train its Apple Intelligence artificial intelligence models. In Pinczewski’s case, she is being sued for violations of the Consumer Legal Remedies Act, the Unfair Competition Law, negligent misrepresentation, and breach of implied warranty of merchantability. It remains to be seen whether the two sides will reach a settlement.
