My Take | Hong Kong lawmaker Regina Ip falls for the oldest internet trick

There always seems to be a second act for Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee in which she comes out on top.

The former security chief became the victim of an internet scam after her email account was hacked. Fraudsters faked a transfer order, which sought to take US$65,000 - or about half a million Hong Kong dollars - out of her account in Switzerland and deposit it in an account in the US.

An alert bank employee reportedly first notified her about suspicious transfer requests.

Luckily, she did not lose her money. She said her Swiss bank had helped her recover the cash. Potential damage to her reputation is something else, though.

She blamed herself for being careless but reassured the public that no confidential documents she received as a member of the Executive Council were leaked. Exco has confirmed it never sends such documents or data by email.

"Because I was busy, that was an oversight on my part," she said.