Money mysteriously disappears from people's iPhones in attack linked to Apple IDs

Alipay says the issue 'has not been resolved'

A worker stands on the roof of an Apple store in Beijing, China, on September 1, 2018 (AFP/Getty Images)

Thousands of pounds is mysteriously disappearing from Apple accounts linked to two major Chinese mobile payment platforms.

Alibaba-affiliate Alipay warned users that accounts linked to Apple ID were being used by criminals to make fraudulent purchases.

“Alipay has contacted Apple many times...and the issue has not been resolved,” Alipay wrote in a post to the company's Toutiao social media account.

According to the Shanghai Observer, the issue has been affected iPhone users "across the country," with many of them sharing their experiences on the Chinese social network Weibo.

People on social media complained of amounts of up to 2,000 yuan (£219) going missing from their accounts – the withdrawal limit for single transactions using Alipay.

It appears that hackers obtained the victims' Apple ID details and used them to verify transactions on the payment apps.

Alipay advised users to reduce their transaction limits on their accounts to help protect against the issue.

Users of a second digital payment service, WeChat Pay, also complained about money disappearing, though it is not yet clear how widespread the problem is.

Apple did not respond to a request for comment from The Independent but a spokesperson indicated to The Wall Street Journal that there were ways to better protect Apple IDs against fraud.

Such measures include two-factor authentication, which essentially involves logging in twice using two different methods, such as a password and facial recognition.