Police have received 130 reports of unauthorized credit card transactions linked to iPhone Duo pre-orders, involving about HK$5 million as of 9am on Monday.
The tally has climbed since pre-orders for Apple's latest foldable phone opened last Friday, with reports of suspicious credit card purchases and duplicate payments coming in afterward.
In its Saturday update, police said the count had already reached at least 110 reports and about HK$4.6 million, with the largest recorded transaction at HK$229,788– about the cost of 12 iPhone Duos.
Police expressed deep concern and regret over the repeat fraud, saying Apple again decided not to enable 3D Secure (3DS) verification for pre-orders — the same problem seen with the earlier iPhone 18 Pro launch last month, which drew 1,572 reports involving HK$31 million.
The cases are classified as obtaining property by deception and are being handled by the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau.
The force said they will continue to press Apple to enable 3DS authentication, which they consider effective in preventing similar fraud, and would welcome other approaches if the company finds feasible alternatives.
In response, an Apple spokesperson said all iPhone Duo orders will be reviewed before processing, adding that the company is working to identify and cancel fraudulent transactions.
Investigations are ongoing, and no arrest has been made yet.
