Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data Ada Chung Lai-ling warned that fraudsters are using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to create spoofed electronic visa websites, and six out of those websites are being reported to the enforcement authorities for investigation.
This came after the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) received 16 enquiries or complaint cases involving fraudulent websites over the past three months.
Speaking on a radio program on Wednesday (Aug 5), Chung said victims mistakenly trusted top search results for visa applications, submitting their personal data and paying application fees to fraudulent websites. The monetary losses ranged from over HK$300 to over HK$1,700 in individual cases.
She cautioned that top-ranking websites in search results are not necessarily official channels. Instead, citizens should access application platforms through links provided on the official websites of the relevant consulates-general or representative offices in Hong Kong.
When applying for visas online, she urged the public to verify that the full URL contains "gov." rather than general organizational domains such as ".com" or ".org".
Additionally, applicants are advised to carefully check for spelling errors, extra letters, or redundant numbers.
