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Crime

HSBC asks victim of credit card theft to pay HK$126,580 racked up by criminals

A Hong Kong mother has been asked to pay more than HK$126,000 (US$16,100) in charges racked up by thieves who stole her credit card last…

By Samantha Johnson / March 22, 2026

A Hong Kong mother has been asked to pay more than HK$126,000 (US$16,100) in charges racked up by thieves who stole her credit card last November after HSBC said she failed to report the loss immediately.

But 42-year-old Janice Choi* accused the bank of double standards, saying a friend who also had her credit card stolen on the same day reported the case to HSBC the next day and had the fraudulent charges waived.

Choi told the South China Morning Post that she was notified in February that her appeal had failed after a series of calls with the bank, culminating in a phone operator offering to let her settle the debt via interest-free instalments during a conversation on March 6.

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“I truly felt they were being insulting and ridiculous. I told them I couldn’t believe they would actually offer that kind of service to me,” she said.

Her ordeal began at a crowded sports tournament at Happy Valley Recreation Ground on November 15, when Choi’s identity card and a credit card were stolen from her bag while she was focused on her children.

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She only realised the items were missing the following day, by which time three unauthorised transactions totalling HK$126,580 had already been processed.

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