Since the iPhone 18 Pro went on sale, police in Hong Kong have dealt with over 1,500 cases of buyers using suspicious credit cards. They think Apple can stop it.
Hong Kong criminals have been involved in international theft before, and the Apple's progress in China at least initially faced bribery and fraud. Now according to local news site The Standard, fraudsters are targeting the iPhone 18 Pro by buying it in bulk using fake credit cards.
They're doing it to the tune of 1,503 reported suspicious charges on credit cards since the iPhone 18 Pro went on sale. The charges amounted to over $3.82 million, but the local police say that they have had all of these transactions canceled.
Significantly, Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming told Kowloon City district council that in each case Apple's online security and verification were not in effect. Without explanation, he attributes the issue to what is being called a loophole in Apple's online store.
"This meant that one-time passwords or mobile app verification were not required," he told the South China Morning Post, "allowing fraudsters to place large orders using illegally obtained credit card information."
It's claimed that Apple's identity and payment verification requirements were somehow waived for web purchases. The fraudsters used VPNs and provided false or incomplete addresses.
Apple would subsequently email to ask for clarification over the delivery address, and the criminals would now specify a public location.
Chow also said that the police had asked Apple to review its transaction processes to prevent such fraud. He noted that the iPhone Duo is due to launch in October, suggesting he expects another rise in fraud attempts.
Apple has not commented publicly. They likely won't.
