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RTHK
14-07-2025
- RTHK
Scams targeting mainland students on the rise again
Scams targeting mainland students on the rise again Chief Inspector Grace Wong (second from left) said mainland students must remain vigilat against scammers, even as the amount of losses were down 46 percent year on year. Photo: RTHK A letter signed by Police Commissioner Joe Chow will be distributed to mainland students, offering them anti-scam tips. Photo: RTHK Police in Hong Kong are urging mainland students to remain vigilant against scams, ahead of an upcoming peak for fraud activity targeting their money. Most scams ensnaring mainland students in the SAR occur in the first or second week of the school year in September, the force added. According to police data, there were 2,574 reports of phone scams in the first five months of this year, a nearly 20 percent jump from the same period last year. But total financial losses fell sharply to approximately HK$430 million, down nearly 60 percent from HK$1.25 billion a year ago. Among the victims, 49 were mainland university students who incurred losses of HK$44 million. That's compared to 89 students being duped out of HK$81 million between January and May of last year. Chief Inspector Grace Wong from the Commercial Crime Bureau's Anti-Deception Coordination Centre said that police promotional efforts have paid off, but it was crucial to maintain awareness. She revealed one mainland student reported losses of over HK$10 million, after falling prey to phone scams over a three-month period. The victim only alerted police on July 10. Aside from phone scams, many students were also subject to other deception tactics, the inspector added. "Online shopping scams should cause some concern because the amount it caused might be small, tiny, but it's going to be a large sum of number because it's a regular habit that students or even most of the general public are doing online shopping," Wong said. Another type of online scam targeted jobseekers. "They're asking you to click, subscribe, like… or even put some products in your basket in some online shopping platforms, so you're going to gain some money from that, but it's actually a fake one because after that, they're gonna ask you to pay more into your account or to other people's account in order to gain some credits," she explained. A welcome letter signed by the police commissioner with anti-fraud tips will be distributed to tertiary students and parents when the new school year begins, after the measure was proven to be effective in a limited trial last year. Additionally, a video produced in collaboration with the SAR's Immigration Department and the National Anti-Fraud Centre is being shared on social media, and will be shown at arrival and departure halls on the mainland in the coming weeks. It entails common scams, such as the impersonation of officials, housing rentals and intermediaries.
South China Morning Post
17-04-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong police arrest 6 over HK$20 million government loan fraud
Hong Kong police have arrested six individuals for allegedly obtaining over HK$20 million (US$2.57 million) in government loans through fraudulent means under a scheme that offered a full loan guarantee. Advertisement Officers from the Commercial Crime Bureau said on Wednesday that the six suspects, associated with four different companies, had applied for government loans under the Special 100 per cent Loan Guarantee Scheme. They were subsequently arrested on suspicion of fraud or conspiracy to defraud in an operation code-named Hitstring. 'The investigation is still ongoing and we are actively tracing the capital flow, ' said chief inspector Mok Lai-king of the bureau. The six individuals arrested include three men and three women, aged between 29 and 45. Two of the suspects are a married couple, while the others are directors or staff members of the companies involved. Under the scheme, the authorities provided a full loan guarantee to help small and medium-sized enterprises alleviate financial difficulties and overcome challenges during the pandemic. Advertisement The scheme allowed companies to borrow a maximum of HK$9 million, provided that their sales revenue for a specific month had decreased by at least 30 per cent compared to the average of the previous three months.
