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This is a clickbait headline. I'm not defending what happened, but it wasn't just for using (a) "gift card". (Edit: The HN headline has now changed.) As he hi
by LeoPanthera 4y ago
This is a clickbait headline. I'm not defending what happened, but it wasn't just for using (a) "gift card".
(Edit: The HN headline has now changed.)
As he himself admits, he used a lot of different cards of different values. He doesn't say exactly how many, and I bet that's because it's a lot. He also says he has "multiple Apple ID accounts in different countries".
Apple should absolutely restore this guys account if he isn't actually attempting fraud, but as far as anti-fraud measures go, this would make me suspicious, too.
- jtbayly 4y agoIf Apple isn't going to accept gift cards, it shouldn't claim it accepts gift cards. He should take this to small claims court, I think.
- ceejayoz 4y agoApple obviously accepts gift cards; people use them all the time. "You're not allowed to have any fraud detection" would be a silly rule. I think there should be an appeals court sort of thing for these scenarios; I suppose that's probably small claims here.
- alymaly 4y agoWhen I ask what I have violated, they suggest reading the legal page. I've already read it a thousand times. There's nothing in there that I could have broken.
- ceejayoz 4y agoThat's very common with these sorts of decisions; they won't reveal the specific reasons, and typically claim it's to avoid disclosing their exact anti-fraud strategies to potential adversaries. Facebook, Google, Amazon, etc. all do the same.
- cmeacham98 4y agoThe point they're trying to make is not that Apple is in the right, the point is that the original title (which was something like "Apple account disabled for using a gift card") doesn't represent what actually happened.
- alymaly 4y agoThey told me by phone follow reason of block: "you redeemed several gift cards too quickly and they all had different face value".
- jtbayly 4y agoActually, it was purely for using a gift card. We just don't know which one triggered this response. There's only one thing that put them over the edge: a gift card. And what everybody here is saying is that gift cards are basically high-fraud, and it's unsurprising that using gift cards could get you banned. So what's the takeaway? As one user said, don't use gift cards at all. If that's what people are recommending, I don't see how the title could be considered click bait.
- detaro 4y ago> Actually, it was purely for using a gift card. We just don't know which one triggered this response. There's only one thing that put them over the edge: a gift card. By that logic, anything happens only because of one tiny thing, and context doesn't matter ever?
- sneak 4y agoGift cards are the only way to load paid apps or IAPs onto an iOS device without giving your identity to Apple.
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- duskwuff 4y ago> As he himself admits, he used a lot of different cards of different values. And if he wasn't buying the gift cards himself, there's a substantial chance that some of the cards he used were obtained fraudulently (e.g. bought by victims of gift card scams and subsequently sold by the scammers). While there certainly are some legitimate sales of gift cards, there's also a ton of money laundering that takes place, especially when the cards are being sold under face value.
- alymaly 4y agoI have all cards with receipts. They are all physical
- alymaly 4y agoIn description I wrote - activated about 2000. The reasons why I use gift cards I also described in the post You may have multiplied account - It doesn't go against Apple's rules. Because not all applications are available in all regions and if you come to Europe, you will find many local applications especially for transport (parking) and banks.
- pwinnski 4y agoSo you activated several thousand gift cards, and I'm guessing you didn't buy all of them retail at face value, right?