Key facts
- Hong Kong recorded over HK$220 million in losses from customer service scams in August.
- August losses were more than triple the monthly average from January to July.
- Scammers are using new tactics like malicious apps and screen sharing.
- Over 5,000 impersonation scams occurred from January to August, losing nearly HK$700 million.
- A 74-year-old businessman lost HK$3.4 million to a fake SF Express scam.
- A housewife lost HK$4.46 million to a fake Taobao customer service scam.
Scams involving fraudsters posing as customer service officers caused losses of more than HK$220 million (US$28.2 million) in August in Hong Kong, more than triple the monthly average in the first seven months of the year, police said.
The police force also warned that scammers had shifted their modus operandi from using phishing links to taking real-time control of victims through direct calls and screen sharing, or tricking them into installing a malicious app that turned mobile phones into card readers.
From January to August, Hong Kong recorded 29,670 fraud cases, a 4.5% increase from the same period last year, with total losses reaching HK$5.21 billion. Among these, impersonation scams accounted for over 5,000 cases, resulting in nearly HK$700 million in losses.
Scams via messages saw a doubling in August to over 80 cases, with losses of HK$12 million, compared to a monthly average of 40 cases and HK$6.2 million in the preceding seven months. The highest single loss in this category was HK$3.4 million, sustained by a 74-year-old businessman who responded to a fake SF Express message and provided bank details.
Scams via direct calls also saw a significant increase, with 1,600 cases in August, a 2.7-fold rise from the monthly average of 440. Losses in August for this method reached HK$210 million, a 2.3-fold increase from the average monthly loss of HK$61.8 million. A 53-year-old housewife lost HK$4.46 million after being tricked by a fake Taobao customer service agent into logging into a fraudulent website and transferring funds.
Scammers are employing tactics such as asking victims to switch to other communication apps like WhatsApp, using video calls and screen sharing to gain trust, and fabricating reasons for verification or refunds to induce fund transfers to unknown accounts. A new variant involves persuading victims to download malicious APK files and enable NFC functions, effectively turning their phones into card readers for unauthorized credit card transactions.