A new Apple Pay prank tricks older shoppers into thinking they were pickpocketed

A new Apple Pay prank is panicking older shoppers as TikTokers use a fake sound and screenshot to make them think they've been robbed. The 2025 prank follows those with a similar title used to confuse and annoy cashiers, but this one targets other shoppers and sometimes results in an in-store chase. The ones that turn violent are, of course, the most popular videos.

If you're going to try this, you'll have better results if you target older folks. The youth are aware of TikTok pranks, especially the Apple Pay ones.

What is the Apple Pay prank?

The latest TikTok prank terrorizing the public uses nothing more than a downloaded sound, a doctored payment transaction screen, and a quick hand. Users with a hidden camera typically approach someone in a store and ask if they can have some money. After a rejection or before the confused target can answer, they move their phone close to the other person's and trigger the Apple Pay ping sound.

@slimeboyptv Yoo WTFF???????????? #fyp #fypシ #funny #explore #prank #viralvideo #exploremore #foryoupage #funnyvideo #meme ♬ Surprise, shock, garn! (Okehi)(901710) - Yatto_Aetane

If the target doesn't react, the prankster can show them a screenshot of a successful transaction screen, tricking them into thinking a payment went through. In the most viral videos, however, targets who don't know how Apple Pay works will often become incensed or attack the TikToker immediately after hearing the ping.

In reality, both Apple Pay users would have to agree to the transaction on their phones before it went through. Otherwise real digital thefts would be happening all the time.

As of May 7, 2025, the #applepay hashtag has over 39,500 videos under its belt. Many of these are from past Apple Pay shenanigans, however. The hashtag #applepayprank has only collected 395 videos so far.

The prank that tricks people into thinking you just robbed them

One of the earliest videos demonstrating this prank came from @slimeboyptv on March 31, 2025. This user found a woman in a store who happened to be holding up her iPhone as she scanned the shelves, making her the perfect target. He didn't even download the Apple Pay ping, but rather used a YouTube video, as he explained to her when she started calling someone after the prank.

Her reaction was mild. The versions people love are the ones that result in a chase. Pranksters often label these videos with "gone wrong," but we all know that they're the ones that went right.

User @mon3ypow3resp3ct gained 5.7 million views with their video targeting an older man that ended in a hot pursuit. The TikTok user asked for ₤20, and when the target said no, he made his move and played the sound. The gentleman grabbed for the offending phone, missed, and then a chase ensued through the aisles.

After the target called for security, the TikToker explained that it was only a prank. He still looked suspicious, but the user has continued to post on their account since this April 28 video, so they probably weren't arrested.

Brands and organizations are already catching on to the trend, with one demonstrating that it doesn't work well on younger targets. The official TikTok account for the Manly Sea Eagles, an Australian professional rugby league club, got 24.7 million views with an Apple Pay prank video posted on April 15.

This one's target is a younger fan, who, upon hearing the ping and spotting the phone, takes his own out and asks, "you want more money?"

The storied history of Apple Pay pranks

Pranks using Apple Pay have been going on for years in various forms. In 2021, TikTokers started posting videos in which they would ask a cashier if the shop takes payments from the app, and upon getting the nod, would offer up a piece of fruit and then try to walk off with their purchase. That prank saw a resurgence in 2023, to the dismay of many cashiers.

@pw_smart Apple Pay Prank in store. LoL ???????????????? #iphone #apple #applepay #applepaythailand #nfc #applepayprank #payment ♬ เสียงต้นฉบับ - PW_SMART

Apple Pay pranks became so prevalent that they grew absurd. In the spring of 2024, TikTok users started baffling workers by offering to pay with things like Mouse Pay. That one became a whole meme over time, inspiring spinoffs like Cheese Pay and Freak Pay.

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