App Store fraud incident!!

Developer Thuat Nguyen and all his apps were indeed banned from the App Store this weekend, an Apple statement confirms. The company remains relatively mum on why, except to say Nguyen's software was "violating the developer Program License Agreement," displaying "fradulent purchase patterns." To assuage some concerns, the company mentions that developers "do not receive any iTunes confidential customer data when an app is downloaded."

Attention was raised by the public and the media this weekend when it was noticed that approximately 40 of the top 50 paid book apps belonged to Nguyen, even though most of these were non-localized Japanese manga submitted in a span of just two days. Worse, the rankings are reportedly connected to downloads made with stolen iTunes account information. Quick, generic reviews served to artificially boost ratings.

Apple has not openly admitted to a security breach at the iTunes Store, likely the way the account data was obtained. In its statement the company simply suggests steps to take if fraud is suspected. "If your credit card or iTunes password is stolen and used on iTunes we recommend that you contact your financial institution and inquire about canceling the card and issuing a chargeback for any unauthorized transactions," the text reads. "We also recommend that you change your iTunes account password immediately."

http://www.ipodnn.com/articles/10/07/06/downplays.risk.to.itunes.users/