While I was traveling abroad, my credit card showed an unauthorized $1,500 purchase from Apple. The next day, my wife received a notification that an iMac had been ordered using her Apple account and would be delivered to our home. We contacted the credit card company and Apple, reported the fraud, changed the account password, replaced the card, and filed a police report. Despite that, the iMac was delivered while we were away, although our pet sitter brought it inside.
The card charge has since been reversed, and the iMac is still unopened. I have contacted Apple support several times to arrange a return, but each representative says the case must be escalated. I live far from an Apple Store and would prefer a prepaid shipping label or an arranged pickup. How much responsibility do I have to return an item I never purchased, and what should I do while waiting for Apple to respond?
5 Answers
Contact Apple through chat or email so there’s a written record. Include the order or tracking number, explain that the purchase was fraudulent, and ask them to arrange a prepaid return or courier pickup. Save screenshots, case numbers, and the names or dates of previous contacts. You shouldn’t have to pay out of pocket or spend substantial time fixing their fulfillment problem.
Checking the serial number on Apple’s coverage page may confirm the sale date, but it generally won’t provide return instructions. Don’t sign in to the computer with your Apple account or attempt to use it while the fraud case is unresolved. Apple may need to handle the return through its fraud or order-support department without issuing another credit.
You have taken the right initial steps: report the fraud, replace the card, secure the Apple account, and enable multifactor authentication. Also tell the card issuer that the physical item was delivered, so their fraud investigation has the complete picture. Keep the computer sealed and documented while you wait for instructions.
Don’t hand the box to anyone who unexpectedly shows up claiming to be a courier. Fraudsters sometimes monitor deliveries and try to collect packages themselves. Only return it through a pickup or shipping label that you arranged directly with Apple, and keep tracking and receipt information.
Since the device is connected to a fraudulent transaction, I would not open, activate, sell, give away, or discard it just because support has been slow. Store it safely and set a reasonable written deadline for Apple to provide return instructions. If they still do nothing, ask your local consumer-protection agency or police department about the applicable rules where you live rather than relying on a general internet claim that the item automatically becomes yours.
That makes sense. I’ve already changed the Apple account password, replaced the card, and filed a police report. I’ll make sure Apple gets the request in writing and keep all of the documentation.