Woman reports $40,000 in fraudulent charges after Apple watch ‘popped’ off on Disney ride

Orange County Sheriff’s Office investigating incident

EPCOT (Landon McReynolds, McReynolds)

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A woman reported $40,000 was fraudulently charged to her American Express card through her Apple watch that she lost on a ride at Epcot, according to a report from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s office received the incident report on April 14 after the woman said her Apple watch fell from the Seas with Nemo & Friends ride at Epcot. The woman was “fidgeting” with her watch when it “popped” off and fell through the grated floor of the attraction, landing on a surface below the ride, the report said.

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According to the incident report, the woman’s husband jumped off the ride to try and get the watch, prompting the ride to stop. An employee notified the woman no one was allowed off the ride and that she was able to see the watch, so they would retrieve it and return it to her at her hotel.

The woman filed a report with the hotel’s guest relations staff and asked that night if they received the watch, according to the report. The next morning, the woman said she received a fraud alert on her card and received more throughout the day, resulting in $40,000 of fraudulent charges on her card.

The sheriff’s office said it was working to learn where the card was used for the charges.

No other information was made available.


About the Author:

Brenda Argueta is a digital journalist who joined ClickOrlando.com in March 2021. She is the author of the Central Florida Happenings newsletter that goes out every Thursday.

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