Hong Kong police warn customer-service scams caused HK$220m losses in August
Hong Kong police said customer-service scams caused losses exceeding HK$220 million in August, more than three times the average recorded in the first seven months of the year. Fraudsters are increasingly using direct calls, screen sharing and malicious apps rather than relying only on phishing links.
Hong Kong police have warned that customer-service scams caused losses of more than HK$220 million in August, over three times the monthly average recorded during the first seven months of the year. Police said fraudsters were changing tactics as more members of the public became cautious about phishing links. Scammers now increasingly make direct calls, use screen-sharing tools or persuade victims to install malicious applications.
Hong Kong recorded 29,670 scam cases during the first eight months of 2026, up 4.5 per cent from the same period a year earlier. Losses rose 3.8 per cent to HK$5.2 billion. Around 5,000 cases, or 17 per cent of the total, involved customer-service scams.
Those cases caused losses of nearly HK$700 million. The monthly number rose from about 480 in the first seven months to more than 1,680 in August. Superintendent Rachel Hui Yee-wai said scammers were using real-time interaction to guide victims through transfers and gain greater control over their actions.
Police advised the public to verify customer-service claims through official channels found independently, rather than contact details supplied by callers. One method involves persuading victims to install a malicious app, activate near-field communication and tap a bank card on their phone for a supposed refund or verification. The card data can then be used for fraudulent transactions.
Another method involves fake courier staff who claim compensation is due for an undelivered or damaged parcel. Victims are guided to add an account controlled by the scammer as a payee and enter a numerical “verification code” into the payment field. Police said they were taking down scam websites, blocking bulk scam messages and arresting suspected money launderers.
More than 1,500 fake sender IDs had been blocked during the first eight months. Courier company SF Express said moving customer notifications from SMS to its official app reduced its scam victimisation rate.
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