Singaporeans Report Unauthorized Charges on ChatGPT and Apple Cards

Singapore credit and debit cardholders are being targeted by cyber criminals who charge them without their knowledge through legitimate firms, including OpenAI and Apple. The charges, which amount to small transactions, could be used by cyber criminals to identify or validate debit and credit card details before making larger transactions. Cyber security firm Palo Alto Networks has also noted a surge in ChatGPT-themed attacks since November 2022, with over 100 daily malicious URLs. The first such attack was reported by a student who found $137 charged to her account for subscriptions to OpenAI’s artificial intelligence program, ChatGPT. Several other credit and debit cardholders have also been cheated in a similar manner. Customers of local banks including POSB, DBS Bank, and UOB are also among the victims. The police have received four reports of illegal transactions under the ChatGPT or OpenAI subscriptions, but the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) has not received any reports of fraudulent activity related to ChatGPT subscriptions. The CSA advises consumers to set alerts for these types of transactions on their accounts. Many victims of this crime have come forward on Reddit, TikTok, and Xiaohongshu to voice their complaints. It is recommended that credit and debit cardholders monitor their accounts closely and report any suspicious transactions immediately.