It’s a strange story that comes to us from Florida. Apple Watch owner lost her smartwatch while on a Disney World getaway. She was then the victim of theft totaling $40,000 taken from her bank cards. She’s sure there’s a causal link, but it’s not so sure.
In mid-April, while the owner of an Apple Watch was on the merry-go-round “The Seas with Nemo & Friends”, her watch accidentally fell through a grate. The husband then decides to get off the merry-go-round to retrieve the device, which is not cheap since it is a Hermès edition. The operator stops the attraction, then employees ask the couple not to move from the ride, while ensuring that the Apple Watch will be returned to their hotel.
Bad surprise
That’s not what happened, back at the hotel the couple learns that the watch has not been found. The next day, the owner has the unpleasant surprise to find that transactions have been made on her bank cards, totaling $40,000. Purchases she did not make. The victim quickly canceled the cards, thus limiting the damage although it was already considerable.
However, it turns out that the bank cards at the origin of this theft (including an American Express with no spending limit) were saved in the Apple Watch Wallet, the virtual wallet that allows you to use Apple Pay from the wrist. Is it possible that the two events are linked? Anything can happen of course, but Apple has put in place a protection mechanism that only the authenticated wearer of the watch can use Apple Pay.
Apple Pay is deactivated as soon as the watch is separated from the wrist. To be able to use it once more, you must enter the identification code of the Apple Watch. It is true that this four-digit code can possibly be cracked quite easily if it is easy to guess (“1234”…). Is that the case ? At the moment, the details are not known.
