Over 300 mainland Chinese students in Hong Kong lose HK$230 million to scams: Chris Tang
City’s security chief says police logged 16 such cases in January alone, with losses amounting to HK$20 million
More than 300 mainland Chinese students in Hong Kong fell victim to phone scams last year with losses reaching HK$230 million (US$29.5 million), according to the city’s security chief, adding police had also logged 16 such cases in January this year alone.
Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said on Saturday that losses from the 16 cases this month totalled HK$20 million, while stressing that public awareness efforts such as talks and surveys could help students better identify suspicious situations.
“It’s going to be of big help even if they think [anti-scam publicity] is no big deal. When they receive a call, they could recall the survey in which they learned that this could be a scam,” he said.
Some local universities had recently revealed that their students fell victim to scams, with the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and City University requiring the completion of anti-scam questionnaires developed by the force and the varsities. HKU students who did not complete the quiz would risk losing access to certain campus facilities.
An 18-year-old HKU student from the mainland was cheated out of HK$9.2 million last week, as fraudsters claimed that she was involved in a money-laundering case across the border.
According to Tang, 318 cases were recorded of mainland students falling victim to phone scams last year, with most of the calls revolving around sham mainland law enforcement or government officials.