Police arrest 269 people over technology scams

Over the past two weeks, Hong Kong police have apprehended 269 individuals linked to 203 technology scam cases, resulting in a total loss of HK$320 million. Most of these scams involved phone scams, online shopping, and investment fraud, with Superintendent Kwok Ching-yee of the Commercial Crime Bureau reporting that authorities intercepted HK$2.5 million of the stolen funds.

The most significant loss in a phone scam this year involved fraudsters posing as Alipay customer service representatives, tricking a victim into losing nearly HK$4 million. Kwok reported that the victim received a call from scammers pretending to be Alipay staff and was subsequently directed to send money through a phishing link. She advised the public to verify such calls by checking their Alipay app before hanging up.

Another common tactic employed by scammers is impersonating customer service staff from SF Express. Kwok also highlighted that the courier firm ceased making phone calls and sending SMS messages in April, instead focusing on customer support through its official app. During the two-week operation, police made arrests targeting a syndicate that utilized forged Hong Kong ID cards to open bank accounts for money laundering.

The syndicate made over 200 attempts to open accounts across three local banks and a stored-value payment operator, successfully establishing 42 accounts, 14 of which were used for money laundering. The counterfeit IDs were created using AI image-editing software to replace faces on stolen or lost cards.

Police urged the public not to share selfie photographs with others, as scammers often use these images to create fake ID cards.