Expert warns iPhone Duo buyers over risks of pre-order bots
Hong Kong buyers of Apple's foldable iPhone Duo face risks from third-party ordering bots that may steal credit card or personal data. An IT expert warns that even successful orders could lead to unauthorized charges far exceeding potential resale profits.
As Apple's foldable iPhone Duo goes on pre-order this Friday, Hong Kong buyers are being warned that third-party ordering bots could compromise their credit card and personal data, with limited supplies expected to drive demand.
A reseller claiming to be a professional programmer has been promoting a bot on Threads that he says can help users secure the new iPhones. The service advertises two iPhone Duos within seven seconds for HK$399, or a HK$899 package offering three attempts with refunds if all fail. Since September 10, the seller has posted almost daily screenshots of past orders, chat records and bot interfaces, attracting more than 2,000 comments from interested users.
A reporter from Sing Tao Daily, sister publication of The Standard, posed as a buyer and contacted the seller. The reporter was told to pay via the Faster Payment System and send a screenshot before receiving the program and operating instructions. When asked if the software could contain malware capable of stealing credit card data, the seller denied the possibility, saying: “I don’t need to do anything illegal.” He also cited previous successful orders and claimed the bot would “100 percent not take customers’ data.”
Francis Fong Po-kiu, honorary president of the Hong Kong Information Technology Federation, cautioned consumers against taking shortcuts. “Even if you succeed in securing the phone, the follow-up cost, including stolen personal or credit card data, is extremely high,” he said. Fong noted that while reselling a sought-after phone could potentially generate profits of HK$10,000 to HK$20,000, victims could later face unauthorized credit card charges of HK$80,000 to HK$100,000.
Fong warned that because users may need to enter personal and credit card information for such bots to operate, malicious software could capture those details. He also said a bot could contain a Trojan horse, allowing criminals to access users’ personal or payment information after installation. Even if the seller had no malicious intent, Fong said there was no guarantee that users’ data would be securely protected.