Fact Check

iTunes Gift Certificate

E-mail notification from iTunes offers a free $50 gift certificate.

Published May 26, 2010

Claim:

Phishing bait:   E-mail notification from iTunes offering a free $50 gift certificate.


Example:   [Collected via e-mail, May 2010]


From:   iTunes Online Store
Subject:   Thank you for buying iTunes Gift Certificate!

Hello!

You have received an iTunes Gift Certificate in the amount of $50.00
You can find your certificate code in attachment below.

Then you need to open iTunes. Once you verify your account, $50.00 will be credited to your account, so you can start buying music, games, video right away.

iTunes Store.



 

Origins:   E-mail messages (like the one reproduced above) offering free $50.00 iTunes gift certificates were spammed to thousands of Internet users in May 2010. The messages did not originate with iTunes and were not legitimate — they were lures intended to trick recipients into opening the attached .ZIP file, which harbors a form of malware (a variant of the Sapik trojan).

Last updated:   26 May 2010

David Mikkelson founded the site now known as snopes.com back in 1994.