Month of Fraud

Citibank Premier Miles, Cathay Pacific American Express and HSBC are probably the most prevalent Credit Cards in carried by people in Hong Kong. I challenge you to find somebody in Hong Kong that doesn't own at least one of them, particularly in the expat sample space. This, combined with the fact that merchants in Hong Kong rarely verify that the signature on the receipt matches the signature on the back of the card. Given these two pieces of information it's easy to see how Credit Cards can be misplaced.

It's commonplace to split a bill over multiple cards, the merchant will simple create separate bills for each card. So when the cards returned for signing and my card was nowhere to be found, I looked at the remaining card. It looked like my card, except for one distinguishing factor, the faded name on the card was not mine. I immediately called American Express to cancel the card. "Sure sir, we can cancel your card, can you please let me know when the last time you remember using it?". After explaining that the last time I remember seeing it was at least a day ago, the operator proceeded to read out the most recent transactions "Did you use your card last night at Common Room at 1 am?". Nope. "How about 3 am at Volar?". Nope. "5 am at Bloop?". Nope. "Sorry sir, looks like somebody has used your credit card, you'll need to get a police report".

In total, somebody had racked up approximately 4000 HKD on my card, which in the grand scheme of Credit Card fraud seems quite reasonable. There were no attempted transactions of bottles, or laptops or luxury watches, just the odd round of drinks here and there throughout the course of an evening. The reasonable answer is, the person using my card probably didn't know it wasn't their card they were using. Regardless I still needed to file a police report to claim back the charges. I don't think I've ever felt like I've wasted a public servant's time more effectively than having to sit down for almost 2 hours recounting the last moments I remember using the missing card.

I remember profusely apologising to the detective, she shrugged it off and suggesting that all crimes needed to be reported and that it wasn't a waste of time. The first thing they ask you when you file for a missing/stolen/lost credit card is "Is this the first time you've lost a card?". Strangely enough, after so many years of owning plastic it's the first time I've had somebody else use my card. First run in with the Hong Kong law and I can say they were more than hospitable. 

Update: Two weeks later, I lost my Citibank Card. Turns out somebody had purchased a bottle using my card. Two cases of fraud in one month, his has not been a good month for me...

T8 in Shanghai

It turns out touch football has quite the following in Asia. The migration of antipodean expats has expanded throughout the region with a large percentage of the major cities running domestic leagues. As a result, the governing bodies have put together and Asian Touch Rugby circuit, where teams fly to different destinations in attempt to win the country title and claim bragging rights for the year. These annual tournaments are held in Tokyo, Seoul, Bangkok and even Hong Kong.

As a new joiner to the T8 Touch Team I was both flattered and thrilled to be invited to play in the upcoming Shanghai International Touch Tournament. The reality was, they were short players and it was an excuse to tell people the reason for traveling was to participate in an "international touch rugby tournament".

By the time we had landed in Shanghai, cleared Chinese Customs and checked into the hotel it was already time for bed. It's an odd feeling to be taking a Friday after work flight and going straight to bed. Most weekend trips have a set routine, after work flight, check into hotel, and head out to experience the local nightlife. It was one weekend, where we were trying to be athletes. No alcohol through out the week, calculated carbohydrate loading and going to sleep early.

The hotel we stayed in was less than desirable. Many team mates complained of cigarette infused bed sheets and the incredibly thin walls. The 6 am wake up call and strange "Continental Breakfast" interpretation solidified the fact that we would forfeit our second night's stay and look for a more appropriate abode. After a rushed breakfast we jumped into a minibus and were soon on our way to the rugby club for the tournament. The sun was out and the weather was amazing, a perfect day for sport.

For a lot of us, it was the first time playing together and the lack of cohesion was obvious. We were pooled in group A, and came out with 1-3-1 record. Despite feeling a little disappointed with our performance, we had adrenaline surging through the body which delayed the soreness and stiffness that would eventually arrive. We sat down in the cafeteria after the group stages and treated ourselves to a feed. Pizzas, pies, hamburgers, fries and beer. It was then when somebody ran in screaming "T8! We're in the shield semi-finals! All the teams are waiting for us to field a team!". We booted up and ran onto the field in a semi-dazed state only to lose in the semi-final by one point.

The rest of the trip was spent exploring the city, changing hotels and consuming a lot of dumplings. So. Many. Dumplings. Excellent trip with a nice balance of activity and debauchery.