Hong Kong police report HK$220 million lost to customer service scams in August

October 3, 2026 at 06:00 AM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Hong Kong police said fraudsters posing as customer service officers caused losses of over HK$220 million (US$28.2 million) in August, more than triple the monthly average in the first seven months of the year. The force warned scammers had shifted from phishing links to real-time control of victims through direct calls and screen sharing, or tricking them into installing a malicious app that turned phones into credit card readers. Hong Kong recorded 29,670 scam cases in the first eight months of 2026, up 4.5 per cent from a year earlier, with losses rising 3.8 per cent to HK$5.2 billion.

Key Facts

Losses from customer service scams exceeded HK$220 million in August, more than triple the monthly average from January to July.
Hong Kong recorded 29,670 scam cases in the first eight months of 2026, up 4.5 per cent from 28,379 in the same period a year earlier.
Total scam losses rose 3.8 per cent to HK$5.2 billion in the first eight months of 2026.
About 17 per cent of scam cases, or around 5,000, were customer service scams, incurring total losses of nearly HK$700 million.

Customer Service Scam Surge

Police said losses from customer service scams in August exceeded HK$220 million, more than triple the monthly average in the first seven months of the year. The force warned that scammers had shifted their modus operandi from using phishing links to taking real-time control of victims through direct calls and screen sharing. Fraudsters also tricked victims into installing a malicious app that turned mobile phones into a credit card reader.

Overall Scam Statistics

Hong Kong recorded 29,670 scam cases in the first eight months of 2026, up 4.5 per cent from 28,379 in the same period a year earlier. Losses rose by 3.8 per cent to HK$5.2 billion over the same period. About 17 per cent, or around 5,000 cases, were customer service scams, which incurred total losses of nearly HK$700 million.