Jeff Campbell
03-13-2009, 08:00 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/03/10/hackers_crack_apples_itunes_gift_card_algorithm.html' target='_blank'>http://www.appleinsider.com/article..._algorithm.html</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"$200 iTunes Gift Certificates are selling for less than $3 in China now that a group of local hackers has circumvented Apple's algorithm for creating the digital vouchers and built their own gift certificate generators."</em><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/at/auto/1236824524.usr105634.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>Apparently you don't actually get the "card" per se, you get sent a code sent to you that is supposed to work in the iTunes store. This is becoming big business and they are selling them now for about $2.00 USD since so many are doing it (that old supply and demand equation). According to music industry site <a href="http://outdustry.com/2009/03/10/the-chinese-itunes-gift-voucher-trick/" target="_blank">Outdustry</a>, 6 months ago they were selling for about $50 USD. Adding to the pressure to make as many sales as they can is the belief that Apple will soon come up with a software fix for the algorithm trick they are using to get these codes to work on iTunes. Some have been found on ebay for use with the US iTunes store so it doesn't appear this is strictly an overseas problem.</p>