Fraudsters swindled HK$1.28 billion from more than 6,000 Hongkongers through online, phone scams in first 4 months of year
- Nearly one-fourth of money victims lost was swindled through email fraud, while phone scammers pocketed HK$280 million
- This year’s biggest email scam involved overseas investment firm conned out of US$9.6 million, according to force
Hong Kong and international fraudsters have bilked HK$1.28 billion (US$163 million) from more than 6,000 victims of online deception and phone scams in the first four months of this year, latest crime figures have revealed.
Nearly one-fourth of the money the victims lost was swindled through email fraud in which 102 companies and 25 people were duped out of HK$333 million in total between January and April.
This year’s biggest email scam involved an overseas investment firm which was conned out of US$9.6 million in February, the force said.
“Its representative received a bogus email purportedly sent by its client, requesting payment of US$9.6 million to two bank accounts in Hong Kong,” police said.
According to the force, officers had frozen around HK$3 million in one of the bank accounts involved. No arrests have been made so far.
