Apple’s newest fraud numbers
Apple has published a new update from its Trust & Safety and App Review efforts, stating that the App Store prevented over $2.2 billion in potentially fraudulent transactions during 2025. Apple says that brings its six-year total to more than $11.2 billion in prevented fraud.
For MacGaming.com readers, this isn’t a “game announcement,” but it is an ecosystem story with real downstream impact: the App Store (and Apple account infrastructure behind it) is part of how many players buy games, subscribe to services, and manage in-app purchases across iPhone, iPad, and—when available—Mac.
Why Mac and Apple Silicon players should care
Fraud on a storefront doesn’t just mean stolen money—it can mean stolen accounts, hijacked subscriptions, and a higher chance of lookalike apps that waste your time (or worse). Apple’s report emphasizes a multi-layered approach using human review plus machine learning to detect and stop abuse.
When that system works, the benefit for gamers is mostly invisible: fewer sketchy purchase attempts that go through, fewer spammy “support” scams tied to fake accounts, and less incentive for bad actors to target popular categories with clones. It also helps keep ratings and charts from being manipulated by bot networks—something that can otherwise make discovery a mess for legitimate apps and games.
Account fraud: bot networks and mass takedowns
Apple describes ongoing pressure from bad actors using automated tactics like bot networks to create fake accounts, spam users, manipulate charts, and generate fake reviews. In 2025, Apple says it rejected 1.1 billion fraudulent customer account creations and deactivated 40.4 million customer accounts for fraud and abuse.
From a player’s perspective, this matters because Apple IDs sit at the center of purchases and subscriptions. Fewer fraudulent accounts also means less room for large-scale review spam and social-engineering attempts that can spill into community spaces, support channels, and recommendation systems.
Developer enforcement: protecting legitimate studios
Apple says it took action against malicious or suspicious developer activity as well, including terminating 193,000 developer accounts over fraud concerns and rejecting more than 138,000 developer enrollments.
For game developers—especially smaller Mac-native studios—this kind of enforcement can be a double-edged sword: strong storefront trust is good for conversion and retention, but strict policies and account enforcement can add friction. Still, Apple’s framing is that keeping bad actors out reduces unfair competition from scammy copycats, fake “reskin” apps, and bot-driven manipulation.
Pirate storefronts and illicit installs
Apple also highlights efforts outside the App Store itself, saying it blocked 28,000 illegitimate apps on pirate storefronts in 2025 (citing categories like malware and pirated versions of legitimate apps). Apple adds that in the last month it prevented 2.9 million attempts to install or launch apps distributed illicitly outside the App Store or approved alternative marketplaces.
Mac gamers will recognize the broader theme here: no matter how you feel about platform control, malware and weaponized “free” downloads remain a persistent risk—especially when popular titles, mod tools, or cheat utilities get repackaged. Apple’s numbers are positioned as proof of active monitoring and rapid blocking.
App Review at scale (and what it implies for discovery)
Apple notes that increased use of AI development tools is driving a surge in app submissions, and says App Review has scaled accordingly. In 2025, Apple reports reviewing more than 9.1 million app submissions and rejecting over 2 million of them. Apple also says the process helped welcome over 306,000 new developers to the platform.
For players, the practical takeaway is that the storefront is dealing with sheer volume—meaning curation and enforcement directly affect how easy it is to find legitimate games versus junk. For developers, it’s a reminder that compliance, metadata, and update practices matter more than ever when submission queues are packed.
Source and where to read more
Source: Apple Newsroom (Update posted May 20, 2026).
For the full breakdown and Apple’s complete framing of its anti-fraud and App Review efforts, read the original post on Apple Newsroom here: The App Store stopped over $2.2 billion in fraudulent transactions in 2025.
