A Hong Kong resident who had his Octopus card stolen saw HK$2,000 (US$255) worth of preloaded value used up in a day, according to a post on Facebook.
In a recent post on the public group Tuen Mun Locals, it was noted that the resident had his Octopus card stolen near a factory area last Monday.
As the contactless stored value smart card has a mobile app for users to check their transactions, the resident had a record of when and where the card was used, including HK$565 (US$72) at cosmetics retailer Bonjour and HK$116 (US$15) at fast food chain Café de Coral.
“HK$2,000 used up by the thief in a day just like this,” said the victim.
Some netizens speculated that the victim used the Octopus card to receive his consumption vouchers, which were partially distributed to Hong Kong residents last month.
With evidence of the shopping trail left behind on the app, the victim said he has lodged a police report and an investigation is underway.
But some Facebook users lamented that it might be difficult to catch the thief and get the money back.
One noted that even if there are surveillance cameras in the stores the thief went to, with everyone wearing a mask now, it might not be easy to identify him or her.
“Someone in my family has reported a similar situation to the police, but in the end, there was no successful follow-up,” said another.
The victim also urged people to be careful about keeping their Octopus card secure.
According to Octopus’s website, users who lost their Octopus cards are advised to report online or call a hotline.
“Customers only have to bear the liability of loss within the first three hours of successfully reporting the loss,” the website noted.
