Tomfoolery in the App Store: The Rogue Developer gets Banned

Update: The Next Web is reporting on two other “App Farms” called “Charismaist” and “Wishii Network.” Keep an eye out on these dealings, and please make sure your account is free from fraudulent purchases.

Engadget is reporting that they have heard official word from Apple on the issue of gaming the system and hacking being done in the iTunes Store. Here is the text:

The developer Thuat Nguyen and his apps were removed from the App Store for violating the developer Program License Agreement, including fraudulent purchase patterns.

Developers do not receive any iTunes confidential customer data when an app is downloaded.

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. We also recommend that you change your iTunes account password immediately. For more information on best practices for password security visit http://www.apple.com/support/itunes.

Apple is sending slightly mixed messages about what happened. Were a large portion of accounts hacked or not? We’re not sure, but I’ll wager the details will emerge sooner than later. Meanwhile, maybe it is time to update that password of yours, and check your credit card bill.

At least we know that Apple is willing and able to ban nefarious developers as needed. The last thing we need is instability in the ecosystem.

Article Via Engadget