Police receive over 100 reports about credit card charges for iPhone Duo pre-orders

Hong Kong police have received more than 100 reports of unauthorised credit card transactions related to pre-orders of Apple’s latest iPhone model, the South China Morning Post has learned.

Apple began its online pre-orders for its foldable iPhone Duo on Friday at 8pm, and complaints about suspicious transactions began to appear on social media overnight.

Some credit card users claimed duplicate or unauthorised purchases of the new model.

A source said the transactions involved a few million Hong Kong dollars, but the amount was still rising.

It is the second time iPhones have been involved in unauthorised credit card transactions in just over a month, with the previous round concerning pre-orders of the iPhone 18 Pro series on September 12.

In response to media inquiries on Saturday, Apple said all current iPhone Duo orders were being reviewed before they were processed.

“[We] are working to quickly identify and cancel any fraudulent transactions that may have been placed,” the company said.

HSBC said it was aware of online discussions about repeated and unauthorised credit card transactions for the pre-orders.

“Customers will not be responsible for repeated transactions, which we will identify and void,” the bank said.

HSBC added that customers who identified unauthorised transactions could suspend their credit cards via its mobile app or by calling the bank.

The bank said it would investigate and guide consumers through the refund process, while noting they had a responsibility to use their cards responsibly and report suspicious transactions promptly.

It also said 3D Secure could add protection, but the merchant determined whether it applied.

3D Secure helps authenticate the buyer’s identity during online transactions.

HSBC reportedly apologised to affected consumers, noting that some transactions were duplicated on Friday night and the system would automatically arrange cancellation, which was expected to take one to two days.

Victims took to social media platform Threads on Friday night, with one user claiming to have ordered an iPhone Duo after 8pm using an HSBC credit card and being charged again at around 10pm.

Another user who reported a similar problem called the card centre, which said Apple sought HSBC’s authorisation a second time to complete the transaction and the first one was pending cancellation.

A separate user who said they had not ordered the new iPhone posted two SMS records from HSBC, which indicated their credit card had been charged twice by Apple.

In late September, police said they had received 1,503 reports over suspicious credit card transactions involving the iPhone 18 Pro series, totalling more than HK$30 million (US$3.82 million).

Preliminary investigations indicated that the online pre-order transactions did not require a one-time password via SMS or any other form of authentication, causing the payment process to be completed without the cardholder’s confirmation and allowing fraudsters to exploit the vulnerability.

Apple said last month that it was reviewing all its current orders to identify and cancel suspicious transactions. Major Hong Kong banks said victims would not be held liable, provided the transactions were proven unauthorised and cardholders had acted with due care.

The price of the Duo begins at HK$17,499, and the model will be available from October 23.