I Got Scammed on Apple Pay or Apple Cash: What Can I Do?

Scammed through your iPhone? Who can help depends on how the money moved: Apple Pay pays with a card in your Wallet, so that card’s issuer handles disputes, while Apple Cash services are provided by Green Dot Bank. Here’s how to tell which one you used, what to do now, what you might get back, and where to report it.

First, figure out which one you used

Apple says it isn’t a bank, and “any card used in Apple Pay is offered by the card issuer” (Apple). Your Apple Pay purchases “stay between you, the merchant or developer, and your bank or card issuer” (Apple).

Apple Cash is the card in Wallet that holds a balance. You can send that money to people in Messages or Wallet, or spend it with Apple Pay (Apple). Credit cards can’t fund those person-to-person payments: only your Apple Cash balance or a debit or prepaid card can (Apple Cash Terms and Conditions).

How you paid	What it is	Who to contact first
Tapped your phone, or chose Apple Pay in an app or online	The card you picked in Wallet	The bank that issued that card
Sent money to a person in Messages or Wallet	Apple Cash	Green Dot Bank, 877-233-8552
Used Apple Card	A credit card issued by Goldman Sachs	Report an Issue in Wallet
Bought Apple gift cards and shared the codes	A gift card	Apple, 800-275-2273

Paid a scammer through Cash App, Venmo or PayPal, even with a card from your Wallet? The FTC says to report it to that payment app. See the guides for Cash App, Venmo and PayPal.

1. Sent Apple Cash? Try to cancel it now

If the payment’s status says pending, the receiver hasn’t accepted it yet, and Apple says you can cancel it (Apple):

1. Open the Wallet app and tap your Apple Cash card.
2. Tap the payment, then tap it again on the next screen.
3. Tap Cancel Payment.

If it says Sent and the status says Completed, you can’t cancel it. A payment the other person doesn’t accept within 7 days returns to you automatically (Apple).

2. Report it to the right company

Apple Cash: Green Dot Bank

If you believe you’ve been scammed, Apple says to contact an Apple Cash Specialist at Green Dot Bank (Apple). Call 877-233-8552 (Apple). Say it was a scam, and explain who pressed send and whether you shared any code. Don’t send more money, whatever the scammer promises.

Did a debit card pay for all or part of it? Call that card’s bank too. Green Dot’s terms say its balance protections don’t cover the part paid by card, and point you to the card’s issuer for that part (Apple Cash Terms and Conditions).

Save your records. In Wallet, tap your Apple Cash card, then the More button > Card Details > Request Transaction Statement for a PDF of the last 12 months (Apple). Screenshot the chats and the scammer’s number or email too.

Apple Pay: your card’s issuer

Call the number on the back of the physical card, or use the bank’s app. The FTC says to report it immediately and ask for a refund, whether someone used your card without permission or a scammer tricked you into paying.

Paid with your Apple Cash card instead? For purchases you don’t recognize, Apple points you to Green Dot (Apple).

Apple Card: report it in Wallet

Open Wallet, tap Apple Card, then tap the transaction twice. Tap Report an Issue and choose “I need help with this transaction,” or “I want to report a compromised card and request a replacement.” Then tap Continue to Chat to reach Goldman Sachs in Messages (Apple). Apple says you won’t be liable for unauthorized transactions on your account.

3. Lock down your Apple Account if you shared anything

Scammers want your password and codes. The FTC’s rule is simple: anyone who asks for your verification code is a scammer.

If you think your Apple Account was compromised, or you entered your password on a scam website, Apple says to change your password immediately and make sure two-factor authentication is on (Apple). Then follow Apple’s steps for a compromised account:

• On account.apple.com, select Devices and remove any device you don’t recognize.
• Check with your email provider and phone carrier that you control every email address and number on the account, and that nobody set up text forwarding.

Gave a caller a card number or a code from your bank? Call that bank, and see what to do if you gave a scammer your credit card number. If someone got remote access to your phone or computer, follow the remote-access guide.

Can you get your money back?

Maybe. It depends on who pressed send and how it was paid. Ask anyway: the FTC says it’s always worth asking the company you used whether there’s a way to get it back.

Apple Pay with a debit or credit card

Your card’s protections apply. Federal law limits what you owe for charges you didn’t authorize, and for debit cards the limit depends on how fast you report (FTC). With a credit card, you can also dispute charges for things that weren’t delivered as agreed. Send it in writing so it reaches the issuer within 60 days after the first bill with the error was sent (FTC).

Apple Cash you sent yourself

This is the hard case. Apple warns that if you pay someone for something you haven’t received, “you might not be able to get your money back.” If a stranger pays you by check and asks for Apple Cash, Apple says the check might bounce and you won’t be able to get your money back (Apple). Green Dot’s terms call person-to-person transfers you authorize “non-refundable,” except as the terms or the law provide (Apple Cash Terms and Conditions). Report it anyway, and describe the scam plainly.

Apple Cash someone else sent from your account

The terms give more protection here, if you’ve verified your identity with Green Dot and the money came from your Apple Cash balance (Apple Cash Terms and Conditions):

• Tell Green Dot within 2 business days after you learn of it, and you can lose no more than $50; later, up to $500. Wait more than 60 days after you could see it on your device or in a transaction history, and you may not get back money taken after that.
• Green Dot says it will decide within 10 business days. If it needs up to 45 days, it gives you a provisional credit within 10 business days. If you report by phone, it may ask you to put it in writing within 10 business days.

Were you tricked into sharing a code? The CFPB says that when a scammer tricks you into sharing account access information, such as a texted code, and uses it to move money, the transfer is unauthorized under Regulation E, a federal rule (CFPB). Tell Green Dot exactly how it happened.

Apple gift cards

Apple says to contact Apple Support if you’re the victim of a gift card scam, online or at 800-275-2273; say “gift cards” when prompted (Apple). Ask whether money is still on the card: the FTC says Apple can put a freeze on it. Keep the card and the receipt. More in the gift card guide.

How to report it

After Green Dot or your bank, report the scam:

1. Apple. Forward a fake Apple email to reportphishing@apple.com, or email that address a screenshot of a fake Apple text. In Messages, tap Report Junk under a scam message. For a suspicious FaceTime call, email a screenshot of the call details to reportfacetimefraud@apple.com (Apple).
2. Federal Trade Commission: report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
3. FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center: if the scam happened online, file at IC3.gov, the FBI’s central hub for reporting cyber-enabled crime. You won’t hear back from IC3 (IC3). More: what happens after you file at IC3.
4. Local police: Apple also suggests reporting scam calls to your local law enforcement agency (Apple).
5. CFPB: if Green Dot or your bank mishandles your dispute, submit a complaint. The CFPB says most companies respond within 15 days.
6. If you’re 60 or older, or helping someone who is: call the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 833-FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311), Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern (Office for Victims of Crime). IC3 says the same line can help you file an IC3 complaint.

The report-a-scam tool shows where each kind of scam goes, and the scam recovery checklist helps you track each step.

Watch for the follow-up scam

Apple describes a common script. A caller, sometimes showing what looks like a real Apple number, says someone “made unauthorized charges using Apple Pay” and offers to help “reverse the charges.” Then they ask for codes or send you to a fake Apple sign-in page (Apple). Apple says it will never:

• ask you to log in to a website, tap Accept on a two-factor prompt, or give your password, device passcode or code;
• ask you to turn off two-factor authentication, Stolen Device Protection or any other security feature (Apple);
• ask you to pay with Apple Cash (Apple).

If someone claiming to be Apple Support calls you out of the blue, Apple’s advice is to “just hang up” (Apple). Look up the number yourself: the FBI warns that support numbers in “sponsored” search results are often boosted by advertising.

Then watch for “recovery” offers. The FTC calls refund and recovery scams “the worst of the worst,” and says legitimate organizations never ask for money to help you get a refund (FTC). IC3 never asks for payment to recover lost funds (IC3).

What varies

• Who pressed send. Transfers someone else made have the clearest protections. Payments you sent yourself are much harder to recover.
• Your card. Apple Pay disputes follow your issuer’s process, and credit and debit cards carry different federal protections (FTC).
• Your Apple Cash account. Green Dot’s error and liability rules apply only if you’ve verified your identity, and only to the part paid from your balance (Apple Cash Terms and Conditions).
• Chargebacks. If your bank reverses the debit-card part of an Apple Cash payment, the terms say Green Dot “may permanently restrict” your Apple Cash account (Apple Cash Terms and Conditions). Apple confirms a chargeback can restrict your account.
• Teens. With Apple Cash Family, the family organizer can lock a family member’s account.
• Apple Card’s bank. Apple announced in January 2026 that Chase will become Apple Card’s issuer, with a transition expected in about 24 months. Follow what Wallet shows.
• The rules. Green Dot’s terms (effective February 18, 2026) and Apple’s help pages change, so check the current versions.