Strange email about billing failure Apple TV

Hello - we are nearing the end of a 3 month free trial for Apple TV (we purchased a new Mac that came with this offer). When we initiated the trial, no payment info was requested for billing to begin after the trial. The Mac was purchased through BestBuys so Apple has no payment info whatsoever and neither is there any payment info in Apple Wallet. BUT the email asks us to fix our Visa and shows 4 numbers that are not associated with any card we own. The email looks legit to me and comes from : no reply@email.apple.com


Maybe the address this email came from is a cleaver disguise for a scam - but the timing is right as our trial has about 10 days to go. We are baffled and actually don't intend to keep the subscription anyway. BUT...I simply don't understand this email from 'apple' with a card number we never entered or even own. Thanks for any insight.

Posted on Mar 28, 2024 6:22 AM

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Posted on Mar 29, 2024 8:40 AM

If I may expand on that …


These two support articles would be relevant for this:


The email looks legit to me and comes from : no reply@email.apple.com

noreply@email.apple.com is in legit use by Apple, but the ‘From’-address can be forged easily by scammers. It is not a discerning factor. If you know how to view the Raw Source of the email message, then you can trace if it originated from Apple or not. Did the message identify the recipient by name, matching the name property of the Apple ID account? Personal messages, except invoices, would have the natural name in the salutation (Dear so-and-so, …). Invoices would not have a salutation, but would still list the Apple ID and the name associated with the billing method (e.g. name on the card).


The Mac was purchased through Best Buy so Apple has no payment info whatsoever …

Your Apple ID account would have a payment method linked to it. Else you can’t be subscribed to any commercial service through Apple.


… and neither is there any payment info in Apple Wallet.

The payment method for your Apple ID (and thus subscriptions) is separate from Apple Wallet. You can have one without the other, or both, or both with different payment methods.


When we initiated the trial, no payment info was requested for billing to begin after the trial.

That seems unlikely, unless you already had a payment method linked to your Apple ID. Subscriptions, including free trials, require a payment method from the sign-up moment (to be able to auto-renew after the trial, if still subscribed at that time).


the email asks us to fix our Visa and shows 4 numbers that are not associated with any card we own

The four numbers would be the last 4 digits of a (credit) card number. If none of your current or past cards have a card number ending in those numbers, then the scam attempt may be to have you “edit” your card number on a look-alike site, making you enter your valid card number and expire date and optional CVC security number, so that the scammer can then bill things from any (online) shop, which you woud get billed for.

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2 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Mar 29, 2024 8:40 AM in response to Loribe1

If I may expand on that …


These two support articles would be relevant for this:


The email looks legit to me and comes from : no reply@email.apple.com

noreply@email.apple.com is in legit use by Apple, but the ‘From’-address can be forged easily by scammers. It is not a discerning factor. If you know how to view the Raw Source of the email message, then you can trace if it originated from Apple or not. Did the message identify the recipient by name, matching the name property of the Apple ID account? Personal messages, except invoices, would have the natural name in the salutation (Dear so-and-so, …). Invoices would not have a salutation, but would still list the Apple ID and the name associated with the billing method (e.g. name on the card).


The Mac was purchased through Best Buy so Apple has no payment info whatsoever …

Your Apple ID account would have a payment method linked to it. Else you can’t be subscribed to any commercial service through Apple.


… and neither is there any payment info in Apple Wallet.

The payment method for your Apple ID (and thus subscriptions) is separate from Apple Wallet. You can have one without the other, or both, or both with different payment methods.


When we initiated the trial, no payment info was requested for billing to begin after the trial.

That seems unlikely, unless you already had a payment method linked to your Apple ID. Subscriptions, including free trials, require a payment method from the sign-up moment (to be able to auto-renew after the trial, if still subscribed at that time).


the email asks us to fix our Visa and shows 4 numbers that are not associated with any card we own

The four numbers would be the last 4 digits of a (credit) card number. If none of your current or past cards have a card number ending in those numbers, then the scam attempt may be to have you “edit” your card number on a look-alike site, making you enter your valid card number and expire date and optional CVC security number, so that the scammer can then bill things from any (online) shop, which you woud get billed for.

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Strange email about billing failure Apple TV

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