Hong Kong police have received more than 1,500 reports of suspicious credit card transactions involving Apple’s new iPhone 18 Pro series, totalling more than HK$30 million (US$3.82 million).
In an update on the case, which has drawn public attention, the force said the number of reports had risen to 1,503 as of Tuesday, from about 1,200 two weeks earlier. It added that all the transactions had been cancelled.
Speaking at a Kowloon City district council meeting, Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming noted that in the cases involved, Apple’s online commerce security measures were not in effect and the transactions did not require verification.
“This meant that one-time passwords or mobile app verification were not required, allowing fraudsters to place large orders using illegally obtained credit card information,” he said.