Pre-orders for Apple's iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max opened at 8 pm last Saturday (Sep. 12). However, by yesterday afternoon (Sep. 13), Hong Kong police's e-Reporting Centre had received reports from more than 700 people who suspected their credit cards had been fraudulently used to pre-order the new phones on Apple HK's official website. The total amount involved was about HK$14.7 million.
An Apple HK spokesperson said today (Sep. 14) in response that all orders received will be reviewed before processing, and that Apple HK is working as quickly as possible to identify and cancel any fraudulent transactions that may have been submitted.
According to police, the largest single report involved HK$114,000. The case has been provisionally classified as "obtaining property by deception" and is under investigation. No arrests have been made so far.
Several banks, including HSBC, Hang Seng Bank and Standard Chartered Bank, said they would launch investigations, activate chargeback mechanisms in due course, and assist customers in completing refund procedures.
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