Please help to recognize if it’s scam massage or real.

The messages are scam attempts, presented by criminals. Do not interact with the message or the sender. For information from Apple regarding such bogus messages, please read the information at the link below. 

Recognize and avoid social engineering schemes ... - Apple Support

Its a scam. Check your card(s) for any unexpected transactions, verify the phone number the text came from and the number being requested to call. Once confirmed a text is a scam, report it to your mobile carrier as well.

I received a similar text message this morning:

"Your card was used at the Apple Store for a transaction of $225.80 via Apple Pay. Call Apple Support now at 1-**7-**3-***9, if not done by you." Phone # the text came from was, 8**-**6-***0.

I confirmed I don't have any transactions for $225.80 on my Cards.

Apple may/may not remove this post but I want to others to be aware that its going out to multiple people.

[Edited by Moderator]

These and other scams are ubiquitous.

Okay, some background: while Google search results are an increasingly-unreliable and ad-filled cesspool, replete with scams, malware, AI-generated drivel, and other dreck all scrambling to be at the top of the search results, but for this particular use case, you can search for the phone number and review the Google search results. See if the responses are listed at Apple or referencing Apple, or if the telephone number is listed in lots of “scam” discussions.

In this case, this is also not how credit card fraud detection and prevention is done. If Apple or another payment provider suspects fraud, they block the payment, and they then contact you and request you approve it.

There are other clues, such as the lack of names in the text. The better-grade scams do embed the recipient’s name, but the more mundane scams like this one just broadcast the ~same mail message text to the whole ‘net. This particular bunch was even using the same fraudulent payment amount for a long time. Or there’s another group running the same basic scam, and they’re using different amounts.

As for Apple Pay, that will usually send messages direct to your notifications and to your Wallet app when something happens that Apple wants you to know about, too.

If you’re ever in doubt, look up the financial provider contact information from a trusted resource — in Wallet app for Apple Card or on from the back of your payment card for physical payment cards, and not whatever contact info gets mailed or texted to you with these scams — and call your financial provider.

If you want some “practice” scams to review and learn about, look in the https://reddit.com/r/scams discussion subreddit.

All that you have to do is check your card online to see that no charge of $185.70 was ever made, so you know that this is a scam message that is trying to get you to call the number (which is not Apple Support) so they can pull personal information from you.

I got virtually the same message that you did. How did I know instantly that it was a scam? I don't use Apple Pay.

If you ever get a message like this that you think might be real – whether from Apple or anyone else –

Don't call the number in the message.

Instead, look up contact information yourself, from a trusted source. It may be less convenient than tapping on the number in the message, but when Apple or your bank tells you that they didn't send any such message, that it is a big scam, you'll be glad that you took time to look up the real number, instead of handing the scammer your money.

the internet is full of unscrupulous people who will do whatever it takes to get your money. Lying to you is completely normal for them.

You should ALWAYS assume that EVERY unsolicited contact over the Internet (or over the telephone) has been made by lying scammers, unless you can prove otherwise using independent means. Caller-id and email address faking are pretty easy to do, so they can NOT be relied on.

NEVER respond to unsolicited contact attempts. NEVER click on ANY links they hand you. NEVER call back the numbers they provide. NEVER provide ANY personally identifiable information unless YOU initiated the contact.

THE most common scam is a call or email purporting to be from the "fraud department" of your credit card company. They will tell you they think your card has been compromised, and they need you to verify your information.

The call NOT from Your credit card company, It's from SCAMMERs, preparing to commit fraud. DO NOT "verify your information" if YOU did not initiate the call.

if you feel you MUST respond, look up the number or web page independently from that unsolicited contact. Call them back at the number on the back of your card, or look up the number or web site address independently.

Please review the information in Apple’s support article on the subject.

Recognize and avoid social engineering schemes including phishing messages, phony support calls, and other scams - Apple Support

I don’t answer any call I don’t recognized…and I can tell if a call is a scam…but emails and texts are getting better and better.

when in doubt I always call the numbers I have for the actual companies.

my cards were all compromised with purchases but I have a great bank that checks, and Apple sent a noticed …I just want it to stop..but I guess that is what we get with tech….and just down right evil people…

TimeLess5— wrote:

People don’t call me but I have so many text messages saying my info is compromised…I don’t open them but in the last month 3 of my cards in my wallet have been compromised…

should I buy a protection and if so is there one you recommend

Any scammer can lie and say that your cards have been compromised – and provide a helpful "support number" for you to call to "fix" the problem.

Call the number, and they will get your financial details under pretext of helping you, and take you for everything they think that you are worth, and that they can get away with stealing.

Here some lying scammers tried to rip off a police officer – and she toyed with them until the scammer manager realized that she was onto them, and hung up on her.

YouTube – Phone Scammer Gets Scammed By Police Captain

If your cards actually have been compromised three times in one month, and you didn't fall for "phishing" scams, it's quite possible that the scammers got your card information from a data breach on some corporate server. I remember when one retailer had their computer systems attacked and records on something like 30 – 40 million people were stolen all at one go. No software installed on the victims' personal computer systems could have protected them against the criminals taking this data from the store's computer systems.

It’s been going on since July. I get the same basic scam message about 2 to 3 times a week.

I get them 2-3 a day…I don’t open any of them I delete and report…just wish they would stop…but I know better than to open any of them…

thanks for letting me know it isn’t just me.

People don’t call me but I have so many text messages saying my info is compromised…I don’t open them but in the last month 3 of my cards in my wallet have been compromised…

should I buy a protection and if so is there one you recommend

Hence the reason electronic wallets exist. None of the card information and generally none of the personal information is shared with the merchant. If the merchant is hacked, they only get the information from swiping the card or inserting the chip.

TimeLess5— wrote:

People don’t call me but I have so many text messages saying my info is compromised…I don’t open them but in the last month 3 of my cards in my wallet have been compromised…

should I buy a protection and if so is there one you recommend

You’ve been targeted by scammers and spammers, you mean.

We all get those advertisements.

And everybody’s info is available, as the advertisers make sure of that.

Scammers and spammers routinely lie with their advertisements.

Scammers and spammers send advertisements that lie about “viruses” and “hackers” and the ever-popular “dark web”. All words that can scare people into spending money. Spammers and scammers and advertisers like money. They’ll always come back for more, too.

Buy whatever unnecessary and problematic apps or services you want of course, in response to an advertisement problem you don’t have, and send your money to the spammers and scammers. To the advertisers.

Who will then send you more lies, more scams, and more advertisements, for more apps and services you don’t need.

Responding to these folks is how you get buried in more scams and spam.

Block, and move on.

Maybe get a SMS text spam filter from your carrier, mute unknown senders (what I do), or add a filtering app such as Bouncer.