Don't treat HKU students like kids with anti-scam questionnaire

The University of Hong Kong has gone over the top to tie library and learning access areas to a police anti-scam questionnaire they want students to complete.

These are separate issues and should not be made conditional on each other.

Of all the tertiary institutions in the city, HKU is reported to be the epicenter, with most students – mainly from the mainland – falling victim to deception scams.

Is it because HKU is the most prestigious university here and, therefore, mainland students joining it are also conceived to have come from families that are more resourceful than others?

Whether such a conception is true or not, that is probably what the scammers think.

It is unsettling to learn that more than 60 HKU students were tricked into giving scammers HK$60 million in recent months, averaging HK$1 million per victim.

Besides HKU, the City University of Hong Kong is also reported to have had over 30 students swindled out of HK$15 million in 2024 – averaging HK$500,000 per victim – about half the sum lost by each of the victims at HKU.

Whether it is HK$1 million or HK$500,000 per victim student, both are astonishing amounts of cash – the scammers apparently know their targets very well.

Still, there remains an outstanding question.

While it is obvious that the number of these cases has been on the rise, how did the scamming syndicates manage to secure such extensive lists of mobile telephone numbers and, in some cases, personal particulars as well?

While hacking is the culprit, perhaps police might also try to fill in the blanks when they meet the media the next time to give an update on the situation.

In light of the trend, it is right for HKU – with so many students vulnerable to scams – to be more proactive in making them more alert to the situation and there is no denying that publicity in the form of a questionnaire could help raise awareness.

However, as said, HKU is going too far to make access to library and learning common areas conditional on students filling in the questionnaire, no matter how convenient the form is meant to be to complete.

It is wrong in principle as university students are adults and should not be treated like primary pupils.

A suggestion that these young adults should be asked to fill in the anti-scam questionnaire as part of the student-visa application process seems more suitable. Then, these students would come to the city more prepared for what they may encounter once the new school year begins.

The situation is a cause for concern as mainland students at other universities are also believed to be vulnerable to the scams, with some having fallen victim to them. While it is believed that many of the cases can be traced to the various notorious scam farms active along the Thai-Myanmar border, it is important that Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung finds a way to keep the situation under control.

Indeed, these scams are not obscure from the authorities in the region.

The Security Bureau can be more active in seeking assistance from the Thai and Myanmar governments to seriously deal with these scam farms.