Apple has reported that its App Store prevented more than $2.2 billion in potentially fraudulent transactions in 2025, highlighting the growing scale of cyber threats targeting digital marketplaces and mobile users worldwide.
In a statement published on its Apple Newsroom page on Wednesday (May 20), the US technology giant detailed how its platform continues to face increasing attempts at fraud, scam distribution, and malicious software submissions. According to Apple, its combined human review teams and machine learning systems played a central role in blocking suspicious activity throughout the year.
The company said its Trust and Safety teams identified and blocked 1.1 billion attempts to create fake customer accounts in 2025 alone. In addition, 40.4 million previously existing accounts linked to fraudulent activity or abuse were deactivated during the same period.
Apple also intensified enforcement against malicious developers. The company disabled 193,000 developer accounts deemed risky or associated with fraudulent behavior and rejected more than 138,000 developer registrations that raised suspicion during verification checks.
On the application side, Apple reviewed over 9.1 million app submissions across the year. Of those, more than 2 million were rejected for failing to meet App Store standards. This figure includes approximately 1.2 million new apps and nearly 800,000 app updates that did not pass Apple’s security and quality requirements.
One of the most significant threats flagged in Apple’s report was the so-called “bait-and-switch” tactic. The company said nearly 59,000 apps were removed after being approved because they changed functionality after passing review. These apps were often initially submitted as harmless tools or simple games but later modified to carry out financial scams or other deceptive activity.
Apple also rejected more than 443,000 app submissions due to privacy violations, while over 371,000 apps were blocked for copying other apps or misleading users about their functionality. A further 22,000 submissions were denied for containing hidden or undocumented features that were not disclosed during the review process.
Beyond the official App Store, Apple said it continued efforts to shut down illegal app distribution channels. The company blocked 28,000 apps from unauthorized third-party marketplaces, many of which were found to contain malware, gambling content, adult material, or pirated versions of legitimate applications.
In addition, Apple reported that it prevented 2.9 million attempts to install or launch apps distributed through illegal or unverified channels in the past month alone, underscoring ongoing risks from external app ecosystems.
User-generated content was also a major focus. Apple said it processed more than 1.3 billion ratings and reviews in 2025. Of these, nearly 195 million fake or manipulated reviews were blocked before being published on the App Store.
The company further said it took down 7,800 fraudulent apps from search results and prevented 11,500 apps from appearing in App Store rankings and charts, limiting their visibility to users.
On the payments side, Apple said its systems stopped more than 5.4 million stolen credit cards from being used in fraudulent transactions. Nearly 2 million user accounts involved in suspicious financial activity were also banned from making further purchases.
Apple said these figures reflect its ongoing commitment to maintaining a secure digital marketplace amid increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. The company emphasized that fraud prevention remains a core part of its App Store ecosystem, combining automated detection systems with human oversight to identify and block malicious activity at scale.
As mobile app usage continues to grow globally, Apple’s report highlights the scale of security challenges facing major digital platforms and the continuous effort required to protect users, developers, and financial systems from abuse.
