Online investment scams fall in first eight months
Bastillepost · 2 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago5 MIN
Summary
Police Commissioner Joe Chow Yat-ming (周一鳴) said Hong Kong recorded a one-third drop in online investment scams in the first eight months of the year, and the amount lost in such cases also fell by 30%. Speaking at a Kowloon City District Council meeting on September 29, he said police publicity efforts targeting investment fraud appeared to be producing results, even as total crime edged up slightly.
Key Points
- From January to August, Hong Kong recorded 59,213 crimes, up 0.2% year on year, while most major traditional serious crimes declined, some by a notable margin.
- Chow said police anti-fraud publicity seemed effective, with online investment scam cases down by one-third and related losses down 30% in the first eight months.
- He said several major national security cases had concluded, but warned underlying risks remained, adding that “soft resistance” had not disappeared and enforcement would stay strict.
- Chow said Hong Kong’s terrorism threat level remained “moderate” and stressed that authorities could not afford to lower their guard.
- Police plan to install automated drone docking stations at police stations or some government buildings citywide, with a central management system to coordinate aerial patrols; testing in Hong Kong Island Region is planned for the third quarter.
- He also said police would continue regular enforcement against electric mobility devices, sometimes nicknamed “hoverboards”, while authorities intend to amend the law to regulate them.
- On modified bicycles known locally as “bullet bikes”, Chow said they could amount to nuisance behaviour, and police had recently taken enforcement action in Tseung Kwan O.
Why It Matters
The figures suggest police messaging on investment fraud may be changing public behaviour, even as scammers may shift toward other types of deception, which is why the force says it will review and adjust its publicity strategy. Expanded drone deployment and continued action on street-level mobility offences also point to a broader push to combine technology-based policing with visible local enforcement.