Apple is increasingly blocking developer accounts due to erroneous fraud suspicions, claims the former head of App Store Review

Everything supposedly happens without warnings or evidence.

Phillip Shoemaker, who led the App Store’s quality control service until 2016, described the current excesses in the fight against fraud in the store in his blog. According to his observations, in recent times, legitimate developers have frequently fallen under blockades.

“Developers are being terminated on suspicion of fraud, with no meaningful evidence shared, no clear appeal process, and in many cases, Apple holding hundreds of thousands — even millions — of dollars in unpaid revenue. In other words: Apple can accuse you of fraud, shut down your account, keep your money, and never tell you why,” stated Shoemaker.

Shoemaker notes that the number of such cases is growing every week. He suspects that at least some of the blockages result from the actions of marketing agencies conducting fraudulent advertising campaigns in apps on behalf of competitors. The problem, according to the specialist, is that the App Store algorithms cannot fully understand what is happening.

Shoemaker sent a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook regarding the situation in the store but did not receive a response.