{
  "id": 4522751,
  "title": "Hong Kong WhatsApp hijacking scams surge 170% to nearly 2,000 cases",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/30/hong-kong-whatsapp-hijacking-scams-surge-170-to-nearly-2-000-cases",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-30T23:00:14.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3365746/hong-kong-whatsapp-hijacking-scams-surge-170-nearly-2000-cases"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "WhatsApp account hijacking scams in Hong Kong surged by nearly 170 per cent to almost 2,000 cases in the first seven months of this year, with one victim losing as much as HK$12.2 million (US$1.55 million). Police said the 1,993 cases logged from January to July represented a 169.7 per cent increase from the 739 cases recorded over the same period last year. The figure also surpassed the 1,669…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post - Hong Kong",
        "title": "Hong Kong WhatsApp hijacking scams surge 170% to nearly 2,000 cases",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/30/hong-kong-whatsapp-hijacking-scams-surge-170-to-nearly-2-000-cases-4523796",
        "published": "2026-08-30T23:00:14.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "RTHK News",
        "title": "Warning for WhatsApp users as hijacking scams jump",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/warning-for-whatsapp-users-as-hijacking-scams-jump",
        "published": "2026-08-31T01:54:19.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}