Enquiries about suspected data fraud surged 40% in HK last year

Enquiries about suspected data fraud increased by more than 40 per cent last year, the city’s privacy watchdog has said.

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) said in a statement on Thursday that it received 1,158 enquiries relating to suspected personal data fraud last year, up from 793 the year before.

The office noted the emergence of scams involving deepfake technology and fraudsters impersonating banks’ customer service agents. In the latter, they would claim that victims’ insurance policies had expired and that they had to pay monthly premiums.

Fraudsters also posed as government officials or departments to deceive people into handing over their personal data or money.

The privacy watchdog also highlighted the emergence of fraudulent recruitment scams. Fraudsters “take advantage of the victims’ desire to pursue work opportunities abroad or earn quick money,” with some victims lured to Southeast Asia, where they were detained and forced to carry out fraudulent work, they said.

The warnings came as Hongkongers being trafficked to Southeast Asian countries and forced to work in “scam farms” in Myanmar made headlines in recent weeks. Authorities said they received 28 requests for assistance since mid-2024, adding that the cases represented a “resurgence” following a similar spate of incidents in 2022.

See also: Families of Hongkongers trapped in Myanmar ‘scam farms’ plead for their return after Chinese actor’s rescue

Police said in December that there were 36,405 fraud cases in the first 10 months of 2024. Scams involving bogus government officials rose by 93 cases to 874 compared with the same period last year, police said.

Around a third of the victims deceived by individuals posing as authorities were university students, police added. Of these, around 70 per cent were mainland Chinese students.

Ada Chung, the privacy watchdog’s commissioner, appealed to the public to keep an eye on their bank accounts and transaction records, change their online banking account passwords, and turn on two-factor authentication.

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