More than 700 people in Hong Kong have reported suspected unauthorised credit card transactions linked to purchases of Apple’s latest iPhones, with about HK$14.7 million, or roughly S$2.37 million, involved.
Hong Kong police said its e-Report Centre received the reports on 12 and 13 September, shortly after pre-orders for Apple’s new iPhone models opened.
The largest single case involved about HK$114,000.
Following preliminary investigations, police provisionally classified the cases as obtaining property by deception. No arrests had been made as of 14 September.
Reports Emerged After New iPhones Went on Pre-Order
The suspected transactions emerged as Apple opened pre-orders for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max in Hong Kong on 12 September.
Some cardholders said they received transaction notifications for Apple purchases that they had not made, while others reported multiple charges.
The affected transactions prompted investigations by police as well as banks including HSBC, Hang Seng Bank, Standard Chartered and Bank of China (Hong Kong).
Importantly, investigators have not publicly established exactly how the card details were obtained or who was responsible for the transactions.
There has also been discussion over whether additional authentication measures were used for the transactions, but this should not be confused with a confirmed explanation for how the suspected fraud occurred.
Apple Says It Is Identifying and Cancelling Suspicious Transactions
Apple told RTHK on 14 September that it was working to identify and cancel potentially fraudulent transactions.
The company also said orders would be reviewed before they were processed.
This could matter for affected cardholders because the purchases involved newly launched phones that had not necessarily been delivered when the suspicious transactions were reported.
Meanwhile, banks have advised customers who discover transactions they did not authorise to suspend or block the affected cards and contact their bank promptly.
HSBC said it would investigate affected cases and, where applicable, begin the chargeback process under card network rules.
Other banks have similarly said customers would be assisted with refunds where investigations confirm that transactions were not authorised.
Hong Kong Regulator Says Careful Cardholders Generally Should Not Bear the Loss
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority said cardholders generally do not have to bear losses from unauthorised credit card transactions if they have not acted fraudulently or with gross negligence.
The regulator also addressed the use of extra authentication measures for online transactions.
It said that if a merchant chooses, for operational reasons, not to use or to temporarily suspend additional authentication such as in-app approval or a one-time password, the merchant must bear responsibility and financial losses arising from unauthorised transactions.
Cardholders who notice suspicious transactions have been advised to notify their issuing bank as soon as possible and immediately disable the affected card where possible.
Police investigations into the suspected unauthorised purchases remain ongoing.
