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Simpson Cheung

Hong Kong police have received reports from more than 700 people about unauthorised credit card transactions worth HK$14.7 million (US$1.87 million) linked to pre-orders of Apple’s newest iPhones, prompting the force and major banks to launch investigations.
A police spokesman said the force’s e-Report Centre received the reports on Saturday and Sunday from individuals who suspected that their credit cards were fraudulently used for online purchases of smartphones. The largest single case involved as much as HK$114,000.
Following preliminary investigations, the cases have been provisionally classified as “obtaining property by deception”. No arrests have been made so far.
One social media user on the Threads platform said she received a message on Saturday night that she had unauthorised transactions of HK$33,598 from Apple on her HSBC credit card.
“When I called Apple customer service, they hung up on me immediately. What should I do?” she asked.
It took her half an hour to reach an HSBC customer service officer to suspend her credit card, and she subsequently filed a police report.
Another internet user said she had at least four unauthorised transactions with Apple of HK$11,499 each on her Hang Seng credit card.


“Only after browsing Threads did I realise so many people had their credit cards stolen tonight to buy an iPhone 18 Pro on Apple … After seeing the posts and checking my own card, I realised I fell victim to it too,” she said.
Similar incidents occurred to others with credit cards from different banks.
Internet celebrity “Szetosifu” told the South China Morning Post on Sunday that he tried to pre-order an iPhone 18 Pro Max at 8pm on Saturday night.
He said he tried many times with his Hang Seng credit card, but failed to secure one after entering the card security code. His orders were rejected by Apple and he did not receive any receipt.
He eventually gave up, but after 10 to 15 minutes, he received 10 SMSs, each saying that he had used his Hang Seng credit card to pay HK$13,299 on Apple’s Hong Kong website.
Szetosifu said he tried to call Hang Seng’s hotline but no one picked up after a 30-minute wait. Nonetheless, he was not worried because he believed the bank was withholding the transfers and he would visit a branch on Monday to clarify the matter.
Apple unveiled the iPhone Duo, its first foldable smartphone, along with the new iPhone 18 Pro series last week. Pre-orders for the iPhone 18 opened at 8pm on Saturday, with sales starting on September 18.
Francis Fong Po-kiu, honorary president of the Hong Kong Information Technology Federation, surmised that the Apple Online Store might have bypassed certain verification steps, including a process called 3D Secure, to ensure smooth traffic during the high-demand pre-order phase.
He said fraudsters might have exploited the shopping frenzy to carry out real-time fraudulent charges using credit card details previously obtained through phishing websites or black markets.
“Basically, Apple should take responsibility, and I believe they will. However, who will compensate? Is it Apple or the banks? I don’t know,” he said, adding that there should be sufficient time to cancel all the unauthorised transactions, as there was still a week before the actual delivery of the new iPhones.
Fong also said there could have been duplicate transactions caused by network congestion during the pre-order rush.
An HSBC spokesman said on Sunday that the bank would investigate and return unauthorised charges to customers under its card scheme rules where applicable.

He added that 3D Secure could provide an extra layer of protection, but the responsibility of deciding whether to use the feature lay with merchants.
“Customers who have used their credit card reasonably and with due care, and who report promptly, can rest assured that they will be guided through the refund process,” he said.
He reminded customers to suspend their cards if unauthorised transactions occurred.
Hang Seng Bank said that while the bank investigated, it would support affected customers and, like HSBC, initiate return payments where applicable.
“We’ll fully support impacted customers who have used their credit card responsibly and with due care throughout the refund process,” the bank said.
Standard Chartered said customers who discovered any unauthorised transactions should notify the bank to suspend their credit card and report the incident to police as soon as possible.
The bank would investigate in accordance with established procedures and submit chargeback applications to the relevant credit card organisations where applicable, it added.
If its investigation confirmed that a transaction was not authorised by the cardholder, the cardholder would not be held liable for the relevant amount charged.
Bank of China (Hong Kong) said all its credit card customers were protected by a chargeback mechanism, and they were not required to bear any liability for transactions verified as unauthorised.
A spokesman for the Hong Kong Monetary Authority said merchants could choose not to use or temporarily suspend additional authentication arrangements due to operational considerations. In such circumstances, however, the merchant would bear the liability and financial losses arising from unauthorised transactions.
The spokesman added that, generally, if a bank credit card account was used for unauthorised transactions but the cardholder had not engaged in any fraudulent or severely negligent behaviour, then the cardholder was not required to bear any liability for the unauthorised transactions.
The SCMP has contacted Apple Hong Kong for comment.


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(From left) Chief Inspector Wong Yam-wing of the financial Intelligence and investigation bureau, Superintendent Kwok Ching-yee of the commercial crime bureau, and Acting Chief Inspector Ng Kam-chung of the cyber security and technology crime bureau. Photo: Silvia Siu

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Hong Kong

Law and Crime

Some report multiple transactions on their credit cards, while an expert says fraudsters may have exploited pre-order rush for Apple’s new iPhones


Some report multiple transactions on their credit cards, while an expert says fraudsters may have exploited pre-order rush for Apple’s new iPhones.


Over 700 cardholders report unauthorised iPhone pre-order charges worth HK$14.7m

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Some report multiple transactions on their credit cards, while an expert says fraudsters may have exploited pre-order rush for Apple’s new iPhones

Some report multiple transactions on their credit cards, while an expert says fraudsters may have exploited pre-order rush for Apple’s new iPhones