Comments on: Scammers offer to help iPhone developers defraud Apple http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2009/04/07/scammers-offer-to-help-iphone-developers-defraud-apple/ Daniel Eran Dilger in San Francisco Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:03:33 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: august http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2009/04/07/scammers-offer-to-help-iphone-developers-defraud-apple/comment-page-1/#comment-18371 august Thu, 09 Apr 2009 05:46:46 +0000 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/?p=3457#comment-18371 Apparently DED's been writing a bit too much as Prince and now thinks that he's a separate person. Or maybe the schizto meds have stopped working. Apparently DED’s been writing a bit too much as Prince and now thinks that he’s a separate person. Or maybe the schizto meds have stopped working.

]]> By: NormM http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2009/04/07/scammers-offer-to-help-iphone-developers-defraud-apple/comment-page-1/#comment-18365 NormM Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:38:03 +0000 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/?p=3457#comment-18365 Presumably the real scam that Apple needs to watch out for is developers spending their advertising dollars buying their own apps. Because of the 70/30 split this only costs 30% of what they spend. It would be easy to spot this if the app is bought multiple times from the same iTunes account, so for this to work the developer needs to use thousands of accounts. This would be easy to spot if they use credit cards unless they have thousands of different cards, all with different names on them. Using fake iTunes gift cards is presumably easier. Probably the easiest fix for Apple is, in ranking apps, to simply ignore all purchases that came from gift cards that weren't purchased with a credit card. Presumably the real scam that Apple needs to watch out for is developers spending their advertising dollars buying their own apps. Because of the 70/30 split this only costs 30% of what they spend.

It would be easy to spot this if the app is bought multiple times from the same iTunes account, so for this to work the developer needs to use thousands of accounts. This would be easy to spot if they use credit cards unless they have thousands of different cards, all with different names on them. Using fake iTunes gift cards is presumably easier. Probably the easiest fix for Apple is, in ranking apps, to simply ignore all purchases that came from gift cards that weren’t purchased with a credit card.

]]> By: darwiniandude http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2009/04/07/scammers-offer-to-help-iphone-developers-defraud-apple/comment-page-1/#comment-18361 darwiniandude Wed, 08 Apr 2009 10:15:51 +0000 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/?p=3457#comment-18361 Apple needs to nip this in the bud quick smart. Apple needs to nip this in the bud quick smart.

]]> By: Trade Jim News » Blog Archive » Scammers offer to help iPhone developers defraud Apple http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2009/04/07/scammers-offer-to-help-iphone-developers-defraud-apple/comment-page-1/#comment-18359 Trade Jim News » Blog Archive » Scammers offer to help iPhone developers defraud Apple Wed, 08 Apr 2009 06:57:19 +0000 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/?p=3457#comment-18359 [...] AppleInsider has obtained an email sent to the developer of TiltMeter [...] Go to Source [...] [...] AppleInsider has obtained an email sent to the developer of TiltMeter [...] Go to Source [...]

]]> By: qka http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2009/04/07/scammers-offer-to-help-iphone-developers-defraud-apple/comment-page-1/#comment-18356 qka Wed, 08 Apr 2009 05:50:12 +0000 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/?p=3457#comment-18356 In followup, an operation like this comes to mind: http://www.infoworld.com/d/security-central/heres-how-i-steal-passwords-officer-602 In followup, an operation like this comes to mind:
http://www.infoworld.com/d/security-central/heres-how-i-steal-passwords-officer-602

]]> By: qka http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2009/04/07/scammers-offer-to-help-iphone-developers-defraud-apple/comment-page-1/#comment-18355 qka Wed, 08 Apr 2009 05:32:46 +0000 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/?p=3457#comment-18355 If you and other news organizations know of this, what's to say that that some developer hasn't decided to work with Apple (if not Apple itself) to sting the scammers? The scammers' greed will force them to come into the open to claim their proceeds from the developer and that's where their identity can be discovered and they can be prosecuted. Alternately, a coalition of developers agrees to go along with the scammers, then reneges of the agreement and keeps the money. All in all, this sounds like a lame brained scam. If you and other news organizations know of this, what’s to say that that some developer hasn’t decided to work with Apple (if not Apple itself) to sting the scammers? The scammers’ greed will force them to come into the open to claim their proceeds from the developer and that’s where their identity can be discovered and they can be prosecuted. Alternately, a coalition of developers agrees to go along with the scammers, then reneges of the agreement and keeps the money. All in all, this sounds like a lame brained scam.

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