Hong Kong police have sounded the alarm after 1,711 scam cases involving university students were recorded as of September this year, racking up a staggering HK$180 million in losses.
According to police figures, local students lost about HK$16 million in phone scams, while their mainland counterparts studying in Hong Kong suffered far heavier losses — roughly HK$87 million.
The Anti-Deception Coordination Centre (ADCC) shared one particularly jaw-dropping case on Tuesday: a mainland postgraduate student who lost over HK$1 million after falling prey to a scammer posing as an officer from the Xiamen Municipal Public Security Bureau.
The victim, a finance student in Hong Kong, received a call in August from an unknown mainland number. The voice on the other end claimed his registered number had been linked to a fraud case and that he must “cooperate with an investigation.” Moments later, he was transferred to a supposed “Xiamen Municipal Public Security Bureau.”
On the video call, the impersonator flashed a police uniform and even displayed what appeared to be an official public security number — all enough to convince the victim he was dealing with the real thing.
What followed was a textbook con: the “officer” instructed him to transfer funds several times for so-called “funds scrutiny” and to check in regularly with “investigators.” By the time the student realized something was wrong — while browsing anti-fraud information online in late October — over HK$1 million had vanished.
Police reminded the public that mainland law enforcement officers will never call to handle cases in Hong Kong — and certainly not over a video chat. “Public security will not ask for ‘guarantee fees,’ or for bank details and passwords,” an ADCC spokesman said.
Officers also urged citizens not to share personal information such as ID or bank account numbers, warning that scammers often use illegally obtained data to appear credible.
Those suspecting a scam are advised to hang up immediately and call the Anti-Scam Helpline at 18222 for assistance.
