Cybercrime has doubled in Hong Kong since 2007 and an internet security expert predicts such cases will continue to increase. There were 1,378 cases up to November last year, compared with 791 for the whole of 2008 and 678 in 2007, police data shows. Superintendent Terence Yeung Chi-man, of the Commercial Crime Bureau's technology crime division, said the figures indicated the lack of public awareness towards internet security. 'While some cases of illegal access are linked to hackers, we also note that in many cases the victims' computers were compromised after they visited phishing websites, which then stole their e-mail accounts,' he said. Phishing is the criminally fraudulent process of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. Of the total number of cases last year, 410, or 30 per cent, involved illegal access to computers, compared with the 46 cases in 2008. Other cybercrimes involved auction fraud and theft in online games, which comprised half the total number of cases. Roy Ko Wai-tak, manager of the city's Computer Emergency Response Team Co-ordination Centre, said he was not surprised at the rising figures in view of the more frequent and advanced attempts by cyber criminals. Ko said these criminals were now exploiting loopholes in social networking sites such as MSN Messenger and Facebook, and such new tactics had caught many people off their guard. 'It is not about anti-virus software or other protection, but the awareness of internet security,' Ko said. 'People should be very careful before clicking on any hyperlinks, even when they are sent by friends.' He said some cases last year targeted the security systems of online banking sites in Hong Kong, and such attacks would increase. Of the online games-related cases, Yeung said many complaints involved the theft of virtual weapons or points, and were largely due to the negligence of users maintaining their accounts. He said police had liaised with online games operators and contacted schools to promote internet security among students. Caught in the net A year-on-year comparison of technology-related crimes Online games-related 2008: 301 2009(Jan-Nov): 381 Illegal access to computers 2008: 46 2009(Jan-Nov): 410 Commercial fraud 2008: 259 2009(Jan-Nov): 359 Others 2008: 185 2009(Jan-Nov): 228 SOURCE: HK POLICE
