Police chief reports 30pc drop in scam losses amid rise in total cases

Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming reported a 30 percent reduction in financial losses attributed to scam cases during the first four months of the year, despite a nine percent increase in the total number of recorded cases. 

Speaking at the ceremony commemorating the fifth anniversary of the anti-fraud mascot "Little Grape," Chow praised the anti-fraud awareness efforts and the significant dwindling of fraud losses.

He indicated that the annual growth rate of fraud cases had decelerated to 11.7 percent in 2024, a considerable reduction from nearly 90 percent in 2020. 

Chow underscored the importance of collective societal engagement in anti-fraud initiatives. 

Over the years, the mascot "Little Grape" aimed to spread the message of anti-scam among citizens, and now it is popular among government sectors, said Chow.

(Khan Heeba Lazmi and Nathan Lim)