I have two Apple ID accounts from different countries, one is a US Apple ID and the other is a Hong Kong Apple ID.

The US account has spent over ten thousand US dollars, mainly used to redeem Shadowrocket redemption codes for distribution, and also to redeem US Apple gift cards from the Apple Store for resale. However, after using it extensively, some minor issues inevitably arise. Recently, when trying to redeem a Shadowrocket redemption code, it prompted that the transaction could not be completed and to contact customer support. I called the customer service hotline at 400-666-8800. While helping me resolve the issue, the customer service representative seemed to casually ask some irrelevant questions. I'm not sure what I answered incorrectly, but in the end, when he said I needed to wait 24 hours, I was actually quite pleased with myself.

The next day, when I tried to use it, upon logging into the App Store, it said my ID was disabled. That's when I realized I had been tricked by Apple customer service.

My personal summary: If you are not using a country's ID within that country, never attempt to call their customer service hotline. Instead, try to use Apple's website online chat support to contact local customer service for after-sales issues. For example, since I have a US ID, I should connect via a US IP to log into the Apple website and contact Apple online support. This can help avoid some rules that Apple cannot explicitly state. Generally, the reasons for getting banned after a phone call are:

1. They discover your ID is not being used in the US, meaning it's being used outside the country, which is a violation.

2. They discover your ID is not used by a single person independently, but possibly by multiple people on multiple devices.

3. They discover your ID may be suspected of commercial use.

Therefore, it is recommended that players not located in the region using an Apple ID should switch accounts if there are issues, or continue to maintain the account (it might be automatically unlocked after some time), or simulate the local environment to contact customer service for unlocking.

My Hong Kong Apple ID has a balance of 10,000 HKD, which I topped up using gift cards purchased with my own credit card. There is absolutely no possibility of black cards or black money that could trigger risk control. Out of impulse and lack of consideration, I tried to use my Hong Kong Apple ID to redeem a Hong Kong region Shadowrocket redemption code. When gifting it in the App Store, it prompted that the purchase could not be completed and to contact customer service. So, foolishly, I called Apple's mainland China customer service hotline again.

This time, the customer service representative didn't waste words. After some consultation and verification, they said they would transfer me to an overseas senior customer service agent. A few minutes later, I was connected to the senior agent. After checking, this agent said there was an issue with the ID that needed adjustment and asked me to wait 24 hours.

Unsurprisingly, the next day, this Hong Kong Apple ID was banned and could no longer log into the App Store.

Since there was over 10,000 HKD in it, I frantically called the Hong Kong customer service hotline. I repeatedly confirmed that it was my own ID and that I had purchased the gift cards myself via Hong Kong Alipay. The Hong Kong customer service said they would resubmit the case and asked me to wait. During the waiting period, they told me not to perform any operations on this Hong Kong ID, etc.

After waiting for over two days, this Hong Kong ID was still banned. The 10,000+ HKD went down the drain, and there was no way to file a complaint!

Through these two cases, I have fully realized how rogue Apple is, bullying its customers with its size.

Therefore, I advise fellow players: for overseas Apple ID accounts, and even domestic ones, do not keep a balance in your Apple ID. If you need to, top up and use it as soon as possible, only topping up the amount you need. Do not keep a large balance stored in your Apple ID account for a long time.

Otherwise, you never know when Apple might ban your account and freeze your balance for reasons they cannot explicitly state.