Recently, Hong Kong residents’ credit cards have been collectively stolen. According to public reports, after iPhone 18 Pro pre-sales started on September 12, Hong Kong citizens continued to report that even though they had not placed an order to reserve the new phone, they received text messages from their bank one after another, showing that the credit card had completed “cardless payment” on Apple’s official website, and all the stolen orders were used to buy the latest version of the iPhone. It is worth noting that a similar incident occurred after the iPhone 17 was pre-sold in September last year.
Data shows that as of 5 p.m. on September 14, the Hong Kong police had temporarily received reports from 1,209 people, involving an amount of approximately HK$25 million.
The stolen bank cards involved a number of mainstream banks in Hong Kong. Standard Chartered Hong Kong responded to the China Business News reporter by saying that regarding online discussions about credit cards from different banks being stolen and used for online transactions, the bank has always had a mechanism to closely monitor and actively assist customers, merchants and credit card organizations to follow up on relevant suspicious credit card transactions. If customers discover any unauthorized transactions, they should notify the bank and report the case to the police as soon as possible. The credit card can be blocked in real time through online banking or SC Mobile.
Standard Chartered Hong Kong stated that the bank will investigate and follow up in real time according to established procedures, and submit refund applications to relevant credit card organizations where applicable. If it is confirmed after investigation that the transaction was not authorized by the cardholder, the cardholder will not be responsible for the relevant payments. In addition, the Bank provides additional authentication service 3-D Secure (3DS) for online transactions of participating merchants to further protect customers, but individual merchants decide whether to participate.
HSBC stated that it has noticed online discussions that customers from different banks suspect that their credit cards have been used to order mobile phones. It reminds customers that if there are unauthorized credit card transactions, they can suspend their credit cards through the HSBC Hong Kong app or call the bank. The bank will investigate the customers and activate a chargeback mechanism in accordance with the rules of the credit card organization where applicable. HSBC customers who have used their credit cards reasonably and prudently and reported it promptly will assist in completing the refund process.
BOCHK reminds customers that if they find unauthorized transactions on their credit cards, they should immediately log in to mobile banking to block the relevant credit cards. They can also suspend the credit card and submit a disputed transaction request through online customer service or customer service hotline. The bank’s credit card customers are protected by the chargeback mechanism, and customers are not responsible for any credit card transactions that are verified to be unauthorized. The bank provides 3-D Secure (3DS) additional authentication services for online transactions, but it is up to the merchant to decide whether to use it.
In addition, it is reported that the Hong Kong police met with the media for a briefing on the case on the evening of the 14th. Superintendent Zhang Qiaoyi of the Technology Crime Division of the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Investigation Bureau said that regarding this case, the Cyber Crime Bureau has promptly contacted the relevant banks and Apple to understand the situation and immediately launched an investigation. The police have also handed over relevant report information to banks and Apple for immediate follow-up, so that relevant commercial companies can handle the cases of affected citizens as quickly as possible and cancel suspicious transactions to avoid losses.
