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Scams and swindles

Scams and swindles
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Police have said they received nearly 100 reports of online investment scams over the past week, with victims’ financial losses exceeding HK$90 million. Photo: Getty Images
Crime in Hong Kong

Nearly 100 Hongkongers lose HK$90 million in 1 week through investment scams

Fraudsters pose as investing gurus with insider knowledge on stocks and crypto, with one victim scammed out of HK$10 million, police say.

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Viral stories

Japanese man hides dad’s body in wardrobe for 2 years to evade funeral expenses

United States

Ex-US congressman George Santos sobs as he’s jailed for over 7 years for fraud

Britain

‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’: Oasis fans lose US$2.7 million to UK ticket scams

Lloyds bank said most scams occurred on Facebook as fraudsters targeted the reunion tour.

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A mural of Oasis band members Liam and Noel Gallagher in Manchester, Britain. Photo: Reuters
Crime in Hong Kong

3 arrested in Hong Kong over 2,000 fake HK$500 million ‘bonds’

Two men and a woman, aged between 65 and 75, tried to open an account at a Standard Chartered branch in Mong Kok, police say.

Consumer protection in Hong Kong

Hong Kong beauty centre closure sparks probe into HK$200,000 of prepaid packages

At least 22 complaints have been made with individual victims reporting losses ranging between HK$10,000 and HK$20,000.

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United Nations

Southeast Asia’s scam gangs go global as crackdown bites

A new United Nations report warns of a global surge in Asian-led scam centres, operating as far afield as Nigeria, Angola and Brazil.

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People of various nationalities who were tricked or trafficked into scam centres in Myanmar stand on a vessel as it passes to Thailand’s side of the border in February. Photo: Reuters
Trending in China

China teacher fired for dating students using fake ID, pressuring 1 into abortion

Economics teacher forged name, age, job, family background to lure young women into relationships, expelled from Communist Party.

Hong Kong society

Editorial | Concerted effort will be required to fight scamming scourge in Hong Kong

Offences, often involving international gangs, are difficult to combat and Hong Kong must ensure it remains one of the world’s safest cities.

Vietnam

Vietnam tycoon on death row has life sentence cut to 30 years in laundering case

Truong My Lan’s life sentence for laundering billions was shortened on Monday – but she still faces the death penalty in a separate case.

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Vietnamese property tycoon Truong My Lan (centre) appears at a court in Ho Chi Minh city on March 25. Photo: AFP
Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong woman arrested over mishandling body, running gambling operation

Body of man, 65, had allegedly been moved from building to outside hair salon on Yee Kuk Street in Kowloon.

The body of a man was found outside a hair salon on Yee Kuk Street in Kowloon. Photo: Google
Myanmar

Ethnic Karen people flee Myanmar for Thailand amid bombing, unrest

Fighting has been raging in Myanmar’s Kayin state on the Thai border, with local ethnic militias battling the junta that seized power in 2021.

Crime in Hong Kong

8 arrested over running Hong Kong scam ring, opening bank accounts with deepfakes

Successful attempts to open bank accounts involved images created by merging scammers’ faces and those on lost IDs using artificial intelligence, force says.

Crime in Hong Kong

SCMP alerts Hong Kong police over bogus lookalike report on tycoon Li Ka-shing

Fake article claims billionaire offered cryptocurrency investment advice during TV news interview.

The fake webpage about billionaire Li Ka-shing. Photo: SCMP
Crime in Hong Kong

E-commerce head urges scam arbitration for safer online shopping in Hong Kong

Consumers more at risk when using bank accounts for online transactions rather than third-party processors such as PayPal or credit cards.

The amount of money lost by Hongkongers in online shopping scams increased by 87 per cent to HK$356 million last year. Photo: SCMP
Hong Kong police

Hong Kong police arrest 6 over HK$20 million government loan fraud

Three men and three women, aged between 29 and 45, applied for funds under the Special 100 per cent Loan Guarantee Scheme.

Crime in Hong Kong

Money lost to online shopping scams rises by 87% in Hong Kong to HK$356 million

Woman swindled out of nearly HK$1 million in concert ticket fraud among 11,559 online scam cases recorded last year.

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Indonesia

‘Risking our lives’: Indonesians warn of dangers in Cambodian scam compounds

Indonesians promised employment in Cambodia say they were instead forced to work long hours in shadowy compounds scamming victims.

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Indonesian authorities say there were 515 reported cases “related to online scams” from Cambodia in the first six months of 2023. Photo: Shutterstock
Myanmar

Trafficked workers from Myanmar scam hubs say death better than going back

‘We will kill ourselves instead of going back to them,’ said one of the dozens who attempted a mass escape from their Myanmar detention.

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Crime in Hong Kong

Opinion | Hong Kong must lead in reimagining safety for the AI age

AI has created a dangerous new frontier. The city needs urgent action to protect residents from falling victim to predatory scams.

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India

Indian jeweller wanted over US$1.8 billion fraud, arrested after 7-year manhunt

Mehul Choksi, accused in one of India’s biggest bank frauds, was arrested in Belgium, plans to challenge extradition, citing health issues and cancer treatment.

Indian jeweller Mehul Choksi wanted over US$1.8 billion PNB fraud arrested in Belgium. . Photo: Instagram/bhartiyapolitics
Hong Kong society

SF Express Hong Kong stops sending parcel delivery SMS texts to combat scams

Company will only notify customers with self-pickup parcels via its mobile app ‘SFHK’ starting on Monday.

SF Express has said that it received 4,036 reports of fraud or suspicious deception cases over the past three years. Photo: Dickson Lee
Banking & finance

Hong Kong to unveil 3 e-banking security measures to combat financial fraud

The HKMA’s ‘E-Banking Security ABC’ measures will enhance online banking security, deputy chief executive Arthur Yuen says.

Hong Kong police

New Hong Kong police chief pledges more global cooperation to fight scams

Joe Chow takes aim at low detection rate of scams and says police must assess national security risks when vetting protest applications.

Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong police arrest 139 linked to fraud syndicates, ‘mule accounts’

Latest crackdown targets those linked to criminal groups believed to have duped victims out of more than HK$130 million using various scams.

Hong Kong police have warned that those caught helping to launder money could face up to 14 years in prison and a maximum fine of HK$5 million. Photo: Handout
Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong police arrest 6, bust syndicate that laundered HK$290 million

Syndicate believed to have conducted at least 46 scams between June 2023 and January, conning victims out of HK$13.66 million, police say.

Police display evidence seized during the operation. Photo: Handout
Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong banks to get new powers to trace, flag suspicious accounts

Police and banks will exchange information on scam-linked accounts as authorities step up efforts to combat financial fraud.

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Trending in China

Chinese reality show slammed for re-enacting ordeal of actor’s Myanmar abduction

Wang Xing says he has declined offers from entertainment industry to adapt his story into films or TV series, not wanting to ‘sell himself off’.

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