Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Elderly people in Hong Kong main targets as phone scams rise sharply, with victims losing HK$185 million in just five months

One woman borrowed heavily to pay HK$2.4 million to scammers posing as mainland officials. Wan Chai bank employee foiled attempt to get 80-year-old woman to open new online account

Fraudsters tricked more than 500 people in Hong Kong into parting with HK$185 million (US$23.9 million), keeping telephone scams on a sharply rising trend through the first five months of this year.

There were 532 cases from January to May, up from 207 over the same period last year, while the amount the tricksters made off with was more than triple the losses reported in the same period last year.

The surge in phone scams recorded by the police force’s Anti-deception Coordination Centre involved criminals getting people to reveal online banking passwords, identity card numbers and other personal details.

The elderly continued to be the most common targets. There were 255 victims aged over 60 in the first five months of this year, up from 84 in the same period last year.

Victims in this age group reported handing over nearly HK$100 million, with each person losing about HK$380,000 on average.

Among victims of all ages, 151 people lost HK$150 million in total after disclosing their personal data, including bank details. The scammers used this information to make withdrawals from the victims’ bank accounts or access their accounts through online banking to steal their money.

Phone fraudsters often pretend to be mainland police officers who accuse victims of breaking the law there, and demanding that they transfer funds to “clear their name”. Others pretend to be long-lost friends or relatives.

In a case reported to police in May, a 50-year-old woman claimed she was duped of HK$2.4 million after scammers posing as mainland officials called her last year and threatened her, saying she faced criminal charges across the border.

Last November, she began borrowing money from moneylenders to pay the scammers. Her family only realised what happened when debt collectors kept calling to make her repay her loans.

Police also received two complaints from people who received dubious calls from others pretending to be bank staff telling them that they had been unsuccessful in registering for the government’s HK$10,000 pandemic relief payout.

Police had warned earlier of scammers calling and offering to help people to register for the handout.

The chief inspector of the force’s Anti-deception Coordination Centre, Ngan Hoi-yan, advised bank staff and family members to be alert to elderly people suddenly applying for online banking accounts, as fraudsters usually harassed victims to transfer cash quickly.

In April, a Chiyu Bank employee became suspicious when an 80-year-old woman turned up to open an online banking account, accompanied by a woman claiming to be a relative.

Sum Ho-cheung, manager of the branch in Wan Chai, said the bank employee had her doubts after chatting with the elderly woman and probing the reasons she wanted to change her password and open a new account.

The employee then called the woman’s son, who was authorised to approve matters concerning her account, to verify that he had asked his mother to open an online account.

“The son said he had never heard of the ‘relative’ who was with his mother at the bank and confirmed that he did not ask his mother to reset the bank password or apply for online access,” Sum said. “We immediately froze the account based on the suspicious activity and reported it to police.”

The woman pretending to be the victim’s relative was arrested on June 12, and police investigations found she was involved in seven other cases related to phone scams.

Chief inspector Ngan said: “We really appreciate the professionalism and the level of concern shown by the bank staff in reporting the suspicious activity and helping us with the case.”

Chui Ting-yui, acting chief inspector of the regional crime unit in Kowloon East, said phone scammers were difficult to trace as they used fake numbers that were not registered under the Office of the Communications Authority.

Fraudsters calling from the mainland also use available technology to make it appear that they are using a Hong Kong phone with the +852 calling code.

He said: “We conduct regular information exchange with the Ministry of Public Security in Guangdong province and Macau’s Economic Crimes Investigation Department to tackle cross-border phone scams.”




AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×