This Aug 21, 2019 file photo shows the headquarters of the Hong Kong Police Force in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. The number of cases of people being scammed in Hong Kong has shot up dramatically. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
The number of cases of people being scammed in Hong Kong has shot up dramatically.
A survey has shown that about 70 percent of the respondents said they’ve received more than three suspected fraudulent messages each week.
According to the police, the number of deception cases surged significantly last year to 27,923 cases – up 45.1 percent, or about 8,674 cases – compared with 2021
The poll, released on Tuesday and conducted by the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong between April and May this year, interviewed 667 Hong Kong residents through online and on-the-street questionnaires.
It also found that 36 percent of the interviewees received five or more suspected fraudulent messages weekly.
According to the police, the number of deception cases surged significantly last year to 27,923 cases – up 45.1 percent, or about 8,674 cases – compared with 2021. In the first quarter of this year alone, the number of deception cases rose sharply to 8,886, accounting for more than 40 percent of the city’s overall crime figures, and reflecting an increase of about 65 percent from the same period last year.
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The survey revealed that 30 percent of residents receive one to two fraudulent messages every week, while just three percent have never received a scam message.
In fraud cases, 10.6 percent of the Hong Kong residents polled claimed to have suffered financial losses, while 88.2 percent said they did not lose anything
In fraud cases, 10.6 percent of the residents polled claimed to have suffered financial losses, while 88.2 percent said they did not lose anything.
The survey found that 69 percent of the respondents could identify scammers in the initial stages, while 23.8 percent said they only realized they were being cheated when they were asked to pay up. Another 7.2 percent did not realize they had been scammed until after they had suffered monetary losses.
More than 50 percent of local residents said they were not familiar with the “Anti-Scam Helpline 18222” – an anti-deception consultation service provided by the Anti-Deception Coordination Centre of the Hong Kong Police Force. More than 70 percent of them were also unaware of how to use Scameter – a one-stop scam and pitfall search engine launched by the police.
DAB Chairperson Starry Lee Wai-king urged the public to remain vigilant and avoid being easily tempted by petty bargains.
She said many fraudsters perpetrate their crimes outside the country, making it difficult for them to be detected, and for victims to recover their losses. The lengthy procedures required to freeze fraudsters’ bank accounts make it more difficult to recover the losses.
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Lee urged authorities in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and on the Chinese mainland to beef up cooperation with the international community to fight fraudulent syndicates.
She suggested that banks simplify the process of freezing problematic accounts and review existing accounts to identify suspected fraudulent accounts for follow-up action.