Ask HN: Is this email from Apple legit?

#1

Post by pqvst » Thu, Jul 28, 2022, 5:18 AM UTC

I received this very weird email from Apple saying that my banking information is invalid.

I do in fact have an App Store developer account, but this email talks about "iTunes Connect", which I thought doesn't exist any more...

Furthermore, the email is from "The Apple Music Team". Why on earth would they be emailing me about my banking information?

Everything about this email is just weird. My scam/phishing alarm bells went off immediately, but from what I can tell, it looks legit.

---

From: do_not_reply@email.apple.com Subject: Correct your banking details to receive payments.

Dear X,

We’re reaching out because your banking information in iTunes Connect is invalid and needs to be corrected to ensure the successful payment of any amounts owed to you.

Users with the Admin, Legal, or Finance role can update these details in the Agreements, Tax, and Banking section in iTunes Connect. For help with making updates, visit iTunes Connect Resources and Help.

Once your banking information is corrected, it may take up to two payment cycles to send your payment. If you have any questions, contact us.

Best regards,

The Apple Music Team

Re: Ask HN: Is this email from Apple legit?

#2

Post by baruch_forest » Thu, Jul 28, 2022, 5:34 AM UTC

I got the same email like 40 minutes ago.

My friend and I have two separate developer account, with different bank account from the same bank and the same branch. I got the email but He didn't.

And I've been getting paid for the last 6 months with this very bank account without any problem.

It's weird for me too.

Re: Ask HN: Is this email from Apple legit?

#3

Post by davidkuennen » Thu, Jul 28, 2022, 5:39 AM UTC

I got it as well on two separate accounts. One of which I changed the banking information this month and Apple owes me money and one which doesn't have any banking information at all. Very weird.

Since today is payday on the first account I will let you know if the payment gets through regardless.

Re: Ask HN: Is this email from Apple legit?

#4

Post by digitsdashes » Thu, Jul 28, 2022, 5:40 AM UTC

I got the same email just now and wondered the same thing. This post was the only result when I googled the first sentence. I also did have an Apple developer account, although I haven't used it for a few years. They certainly don't owe me any money. The email does have my real name in it, which is different from the "Dear customer" in normal phishing emails. There was a story on The Register yesterday about Apple's network being hijacked and routed through Russia so I'm wondering if these two things are connected.

Re: Ask HN: Is this email from Apple legit?

#5

Post by cloakedcode » Thu, Jul 28, 2022, 5:49 AM UTC

Turns out Apple has a help doc on identifying legitimate Apple emails:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201679

In any case, avoid any links in the email. If you think it’s legitimate, update your payment information by following what’s listed in the above doc or by getting there through means outside of what’s provided in the email.

Re: Ask HN: Is this email from Apple legit?

#6

Post by ameliaray » Thu, Jul 28, 2022, 5:52 AM UTC

I received the same e-mail. My music is distributed to Apple through CD Baby so I have never received direct payment from Apple. I thought there might have been an error on the CD Baby side but wondered why the e-mail was sent to my address and name. As with digitsdashes, this post was the only result when I Googled. I will ignore the e-mail for now. Thanks for posting and commenting.

Re: Ask HN: Is this email from Apple legit?

#7

Post by test500 » Thu, Jul 28, 2022, 5:55 AM UTC

I've got this email from Apple and it looks legitimate. The problem is there are no warnings on in app store connect - agreements,tax and banking and I received payment last month..

Re: Ask HN: Is this email from Apple legit?

#8

Post by acesup93 » Thu, Jul 28, 2022, 6:04 AM UTC

I did receive it as well.

The previous payments went through with no problem and I haven't made any changes since then.

Strange that the contact us redirects to a itunes account. When trying to login it says I don't have an account there.

Re: Ask HN: Is this email from Apple legit?

#9

Post by necovek » Thu, Jul 28, 2022, 6:09 AM UTC

When you are suspicious of any incoming emails, look for "received from" lines in SMTP envelope (not in the header fields which are trivially forgeable): as soon as email hits a normal server, it can't be forged anymore, and a relaying/delivering server will insert the actual header.

If there is no apple.com mail server in the sequence of received-from lines, it's not a valid email.

If there is, it should be valid or their MX servers are compromised.

Regardless, always browse yourself to wherever you need to update any banking info or personal data.

Re: Ask HN: Is this email from Apple legit?

#10

Post by misterchuck » Thu, Jul 28, 2022, 6:16 AM UTC

Received that for 2 separated appstore accounts today. Must be sent in error.