Fake customer service scams doubled, losses hit HK$859 million
AM730 · 2 SOURCESabout 4 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Ahead of the Double 11 shopping season, Hong Kong police have warned the public about a sharp rise in fake customer service scams targeting online shoppers. The Anti-Deception Coordination Centre said that by the end of September, police had recorded 6,177 impersonation-of-customer-service cases involving about HK$859 million, with both the number of cases and total losses up by about one times from a year earlier. In one case, a 53-year-old housewife was cheated out of HK$4.46 million after fraudsters posing as Taobao customer service claimed her parcel had been damaged and offered compensation. Police said scammers may even know victims' shopping lists, but that does not prove they are genuine customer service staff.
Key Points
- The Anti-Deception Coordination Centre issued the warning on November 5, as the Double 11 online shopping peak approaches.
- Police recorded 6,177 fake customer service scam cases by the end of September, involving about HK$859 million in losses.
- Both the number of cases and the amount lost were about double the levels seen in the same period last year.
- In one case, a 53-year-old housewife followed instructions on a fake website and online banking platform, then lost HK$4.46 million
- Police said online banking and Faster Payment System transfers do not have any so-called transfer verification function.
Why It Matters
The warning is especially relevant for Hong Kong consumers during major online shopping promotions, when more people expect parcel updates, refunds or compensation calls. Police are stressing that official customer service staff will not proactively ask customers to transfer money, share screens or click unknown links, and that suspicious phone numbers, websites and payee accounts should be checked through Scameter tools or the 18222 anti-scam hotline.