Hong Kong is experiencing a rise in financial loss as a result of mobile scams, despite the city’s increased prevalence of mainland Chinese learners falling victim.
In the first third of the year, 474 mobile con cases were reported, a 21 % decrease from the same period last year, according to local authorities. But the amount of money lost more than quadrupled to HK$ 789 million ( US$ 101 million ) from HK$ 195 million.
The majority of losses were caused by government official portrayal schemes. While there were 168 like circumstances, simply more than a third of the total score, they were responsible for at least HK$ 760 million of the cash swindled, local media reported.
According to Senior Inspector Lam Pui-hang of the Hong Kong Police Force’s knowledge meeting and con answer staff, more mainland Chinese students in the area are also falling for these schemes.  ,
The South China Morning Post (SCMP ) reports that there were 39 cases involving mainland Chinese students in the first quarter of 2024, compared to 29 cases during the same time last year.
” BRAINWASHED” BY SCAMMERS
One of the recent cases involved an 18-year-old mainland Chinese victim. The first-year university student, identified as” Chen,” gave a video call to a police press conference about her experience.
Chen relates how she was contacted by phony immigration authorities who claimed to be her.  ,
The caller had claimed that she had posted “undesirable advertisements” under her phone number registered in China and thus “violated Hong Kong laws” and would be “blacklisted”, HK01 reported.  ,
Later, Chen was moved to a caller who claimed to be a police officer in mainland China and claimed to be involved in a money-laundering investigation. Additionally, the con artist gave her transfer information in statements from her real bank account.
Later, she received a copy of the arrest warrant and a freeze order. Due to the fact that Hong Kong officials and several banks were involved in the case, she was advised to keep any information a secret or she would be detained right away.  ,
” At that moment I was extremely agitated”, Chen said in Mandarin.  ,