Police call repeat iPhone fraud incident 'regrettable'

Authorities have expressed regret over a recent repeat incident involving potential misuse of credit cards in connection with iPhone Duo pre-sale transactions. Over 110 reports were filed, resulting in an estimated loss of HK$4.6 million, with the largest single loss reaching nearly HK$230,000. Senior Inspector Lo Chun-kong from the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau stated that the incident is "extremely regrettable," particularly since a similar situation occurred last month.

He noted that the police had previously recommended Apple to implement 3D-Secure (3DS) for online credit card payments to enhance security. However, Apple failed to activate 3DS during the pre-sale on Friday night, allowing the fraud to occur. Lo expressed concern over Apple's lack of proactive measures to prevent such cases, calling for the company to fulfill its corporate responsibilities.

The incident has been classified as "obtaining property by deception" and involves multiple banks. No arrests have been made so far. Last month, over 1,570 reports were filed regarding iPhone 18 Pro series incidents, with total losses amounting to approximately HK$31 million.