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A phone number showed up in my Apple Wallet that is not mine. It belongs to a medicall portal that was hacked. I can't delete the number. Can anyone help?
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
MacBook Pro 14″, macOS 14.6
I get it. You’re welcome. I leave you with this last thought. If you’re near an Apple Retail Store make an appointment and ask them to check the serial number and if Best Buy had previously sold the computer. something just doesn’t sound right. I’m not sure Apple Care has access to that information. An Apple Store genius or store manager can see the history of the machine. I’m a former Apple Store manager and I have my suspicions.
I get it. You’re welcome. I leave you with this last thought. If you’re near an Apple Retail Store make an appointment and ask them to check the serial number and if Best Buy had previously sold the computer. something just doesn’t sound right. I’m not sure Apple Care has access to that information. An Apple Store genius or store manager can see the history of the machine. I’m a former Apple Store manager and I have my suspicions.
The cache is specific to the application. Firefox may have a cache of personal data or doesn’t delete personal data. Browsers are programmed to fill in data as a convenience. You may need to explore some settings in FireFox.
My experiment is to try Safari and see if the information is used. If not, that leads me to believe that it’s FireFox. Here’s an article I found on the Mozilla site about clearing history, cache, etc. It’s possible that FireFox is using history or some other function to pull your old data.
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/delete-browsing-search-download-history-firefox
Try going to https://secure9.store.apple.com/shop/account/home, log in and scroll down to Account Settings.
If you see the number there, you should be able to edit it to whatever you want by tapping on the "Edit" button near it.
It may take a few moments to then update on your Mac.
This one did. It appeared in the Wallet and Apple Pay in a brand new computer purchased from Best Buy. I’ve spent hours with Geek Squad and more hours (literally) with Apple Care, and no oneknows how to get it out, or where it came from. Just today, I exchanged the new computer for a different one of the same type (MacBook Pro), deleted all the hidden tickets in Wallet, and lo! the wrong phone number is still there. I added my correct phone #, but cannot delete the wrong one. I DO know that it belongs to a medical portal that was hacked last year:Athena. I researched deleting Wallet, and guess what? It can’t be done. But it’s on the books that with the new iPhone 16, it will be possible. Meanwhile…I feel vulnerable through Wallet.
Alright, we’re getting closer. You’re on a Mac and there’s an unknown phone number. Where or how does it appear? Can you post a screen shot? I can’t picture a phone number just flashing on the screen.
No, not at all. It doesn’t flash on the screen. Go into settings, then down to “Wallet and Apple Pay.” Click on that; the phone number appears, and you can open that. It is possible to ADD a phone # (which I did—my own), and then “check” the primary #. But the other number remains as a …secondary…? I don’t want to post screenshot because it shows my number.
yes, in the contact card. But I had deleted a Me contact card long ago. Also, the card info was populated by "info found by Siri." And the number is not one in any of my contacts. Where in the world did Siri get that? I don't like that adding info without my input at all!! So, I deleted the card again. Then, I looked up...and called... the number, and added it to my contacts with the owner's name (medical records at a Medical Center). There was a data breach last year of all Athena health portal's information, which is where this phone number was associated. But it's still connected [in my computer] with my Apple Pay (which I've never used, thank goodness). Any suggestions? (BTW, I appreciate your input.)
I use Safari sometimes, actually very little. I use Firefox, set to clear the cache every time it closes. I use Start Page or DuckDuckGo search. I have an iphone, and a very old Apple that I only use for CDs.
I just tried to answer. I got a msg that I had exceeded my message limits (??) Anyway, I use Safari very seldom (too monochrome). I use Firefox, no others. It's set to delete the cache every time it closes. I also manually clear caches in both browsers as a matter of course. I do not keep history in any device. I have a 2023 MacBook Pro, and a 2011 MacBook Pro which I use almost exclusively for CDs. It was tuned up last week at Geek Squad. I have an iPhone.
I just don't like the aesthetics of Safari. What has the cache got to do with that phone number? This didn't show up til I bought the new MacBook Pro last week. There was another issue with that particular machine where the battery discharged the whole time it was turned on. Nobody at Best Buy could fix that, so I exchanged it for a different one... this one.
Four times I've gotten the message, "You've exceeded the posting limits. Try again in a few minutes." Nor do I see all my responses. I think you may not have received them, either.
Basically, I asked what cache-clearing has to do with that phone number showing up on a new Mac, when I've never used it. I do see, now, that our repsonses are showing, but out-of-order. I will look at the link you suggested. Thanks.
What computer did you purchase from Best Buy? Can you walk me through the steps you were doing, and what lead you to Apple Wallet and the Settings?
Did Best Buy do a data transfer or you’re setting it up? You’ve never owned an Apple product before?
Thanks Phil. I’m also concerned she may have a >used< computer from Best Buy. When I was an Apple Store manager I’d seen computers that Best Buy had sold as new, but with prior owners information. Your analysis lends credence to my suspicions.
There are several large retailers that do that, even though legally and ethically it shouldn’t be sold as new.
More likely, the number was entered when making a purchase at the online Apple Store and requested in-store pickup. In-Store pickup, normally requires a phone number to send messages to let you know when the item is ready for pickup. The number stays there, and is then synced to other places like Settings, but its done over the specific Apple account.
A Previously used computer would have no way of adding the number to the new user's own account at the online Apple Store.
While I can believe Best Buy will sell used computers without properly wiping them, its not really possible for that to affect personal info tied to the Apple ID of the user. The number is not directly on the computer. It gets added to the account on the Apple On-Line store website.
She said it was brand new and purchased at Best Buy. The issue is it’s not her number and is associated with a medical billing facility that she has no connection to. She’d have no reason to add the number to anything. I suppose a typo is possible. I’m still leaning to she got a used computer that Best Buy didn’t restore properly and then repackaged and sold as new. An Apple Store can see the history of the serial number and would be able to see the history of the item.
How do I delete a phone number linked to my Apple Wallet that is not mine?
