The number of phone scam cases in Hong Kong rose by nearly 22 per cent between January and May compared with the same period last year, but losses fell by almost two-thirds to HK$430 million (US$54.8 million) as fewer mainland Chinese students were cheated, police said.
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Chief Inspector Grace Wong Chi-man of the force’s Anti-Deception Coordination Centre said police had recorded 2,574 phone scams in the first five months of 2025, with a 45 per cent year-on-year drop in cases involving mainland students, who typically were swindled out of large sums, contributing to the fall in overall losses.
“It’s the direct result of the number of students impacted in these cases. In each case, they’re not losing a few thousand, but millions in some cases. The reduction in the number of victims is a major contribution to the amount lost,” Wong said.
The 2,574 scams recorded from January to May marked a nearly 22 per cent increase over 2,112 cases in the same period last year. The HK$430 million lost was a 64 per cent year-on-year drop from HK$1.2 billion in 2024.
In the 49 cases where mainland students were victims, losses were HK$44 million, about 10 per cent of the total over the five-month period. The amount lost was 45 per cent less than the HK$81 million stolen over the same period last year.
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However, Wong warned that it was still necessary to promote greater awareness among mainland students before the new academic year began between August and October.