Apple, in its latest App Store fraud analysis, revealed that the company prevented more than $2 billion in potentially fraudulent transactions in 2024 alone. This contributes to a staggering total of $9 billion in fraudulent activities thwarted since 2019.
With more than 813 million visitors weekly and active operations in 175 regions, maintaining the platform’s integrity requires Apple to protect its users and upgrade defenses. Here is a quick breakdown of the 2024 Apple App Store fraud analysis.
A Layered Defense Against Fraudulent Transactions
To address a rising tide of deceptive tactics, Apple employs a multi-pronged strategy that includes both automated systems and human oversight. In 2024, Apple rejected over 1.9 million app submissions for not meeting the platform’s stringent standards, which include checks for reliability, privacy, and potential fraud. Of these, 400,000 apps were denied specifically for privacy violations, while over 320,000 were flagged for spam, copying, or misleading content.
App Review remains a cornerstone of Apple’s defense mechanism, with a team that reviews an average of 150,000 app submissions each week. In total, over 7.7 million submissions were assessed in 2024. Apple reports that more than 37,000 apps were removed for fraudulent activity, many of which were linked to broader developer networks attempting to bypass scrutiny.
One method fraudsters use is hiding deceptive features in apps that only activate after passing initial review. In response, Apple rejected over 43,000 submissions for containing hidden or undocumented features in 2024.
Cracking Down on App Store Fraud
Fraud isn’t limited to apps. Apple also cracked down on account abuse, a common gateway for malicious activity. Last year, more than 146,000 developer accounts were terminated due to fraud, and another 139,000 developer enrollment attempts were rejected outright.
On the consumer side, Apple took decisive action by rejecting over 711 million customer account creation attempts and deactivating nearly 129 million accounts. These accounts often aim to manipulate the App Store’s ratings, reviews, and rankings, distorting the marketplace and undermining legitimate developers.
Apple also extended its scrutiny beyond the App Store’s borders. In 2024, the company detected and blocked over 10,000 unauthorized apps on pirate storefronts, preventing nearly 4.6 million attempts to install or launch apps from unapproved sources.
Fighting App Store Discovery Fraud
Another important front in Apple’s anti-fraud battle is the discovery of fraud apps and developers that manipulate rankings and visibility through artificial means. In 2024, Apple processed more than 1.2 billion ratings and reviews, removing over 143 million fraudulent entries that sought to game the system. The company also removed more than 7,400 apps from App Store charts and nearly 9,500 deceptive apps from search results, leveling the playing field for developers in good standing.
A major highlight of the 2024 App Store fraud analysis was Apple’s protection of its payment infrastructure. Using technologies such as Apple Pay and StoreKit, Apple prevented over $2 billion in fraudulent transactions last year. The company also detected and blocked the use of 4.7 million stolen credit cards and banned over 1.6 million accounts from conducting further transactions.
Apple emphasizes the security advantages of Apple Pay, which utilizes a unique device-specific number and transaction code for each purchase. This means actual card numbers are neither stored on the device nor shared with developers, further mitigating risks.
More than 420,000 apps now utilize StoreKit to power in-app purchases, which Apple says are processed with built-in fraud detection, end-to-end encryption, and user control tools like purchase history, refund support, and subscription management.
