Aussies warned of new TikTok prank attacking bank accounts

"They were in a group and one male teenager ran by me and put his phone near my wallet, located in my pocket and it made a notification sound. Saying they took ‘$100’."

Aussies are being warned of a dangerous TikTok trend being perpetrated primarily by teenage boys across the country.

The trend, a new form of prank leading people to believe they’re being scammed out of money, has everybody on edge - so here’s how to know if you’re on the receiving end.

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Image: TikTok / @thequistfamily, @boaters_.

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“Is that even possible?”

A Sydney Reddit user has taken to the platform after a confrontation with a group of teens, who had led them to believe their money had been stolen.

“I was walking minding my own business when one teenager ran by me…” the post began.

“They were in a group and one male teenager ran by me and put his phone (I think) near my wallet, located in my pocket and it made a notification sound. Saying they took ‘$100’ jokingly. They ran away after as the whole situation went by quick and left me confused. I checked my account and nothing was taken.

“Should I be concerned for what ever that sound was that they have access to my information? Is that even possible? Thank you and apologies if this isn’t the right place to post. There [are a] lot of scammers out there.”

@boaters_

Apple Pay prank almost ended in a fight#fyp #foryoupage #foryou #boaters #viral #follow

♬ original sound - Boaters

“It’s a stupid TikTok thing”

Commenters were quick to confirm that no money had been taken, and it was nothing more than a TikTok prank.

“TikTok trend. Don’t worry abt it. From a teenager myself,” one assured.

“Tiktok prankster. Just ignore them, they are milking for a reaction,” said another.

“It's a stupid tiktok thing, I've seen a few people throw punchers because they think the kid has stolen from them,” a third agreed.

The original poster responded gladly: “Thanks. As someone with ocd and anxiety they picked the perfect victim to fuck with. Gosh I hate tik tok.”

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Don’t react!

The prank, coined the Apple Pay prank, has been circulating TikTok over the last few days.

It sees groups of teens approach an unassuming bystander, sometimes asking them for the time or similar if their phone isn’t already in their hand.

Then, the prankster raises their phone to meet their victim’s, playing the Apple Pay ‘ding’ sound effect at the same time - leading them to believe money has been taken from their account.

The goal of these kinds of pranks is to elicit some kind of extreme response from the victim, with some of the most viral videos - with millions of views - ending with the prankster being threatened or even chased.

Of course, there’s never a good time for a prank like this to occur, but in the midst of a cost of living crisis where every last dollar counts, you can understand why people are extra concerned at the idea of being $20 or even $100 short.

Rest assured, money cannot be taken from your account in this way, so if you’re approached by a group of people and told that they’ve ‘borrowed’ some money from you, take a second before panicking as chances are, it’s nothing.

Originally published as Aussies warned of new TikTok prank attacking bank accounts