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Hong Kong WhatsApp hijacking scams rise 170% to 1,993 cases
Police said the first seven months brought HK$146.3 million in losses, even though that total was 22.7% lower than a year earlier.
Hong Kong has seen a sharp increase in WhatsApp account hijacking scams, with police logging 1,993 cases from January through July. That level represents a 169.7% jump versus 739 cases over the same period last year, according to SCMP Economy.
The cases in the first seven months followed a higher annual baseline, with the reported total also surpassing the 1,669 cases recorded across all of 2025. While the number of incidents rose, the total losses were HK$146.3 million, down 22.7% from HK$189.2 million over the same period last year.
Police warned that the threat remains significant, citing reports that some victims lost between HK$1 million and more than HK$10 million. SCMP Economy noted that Superintendent Hui Yee-wai of the force’s cyber security and technology crime bureau linked the surge to residents’ use of social media and instant messaging, and also pointed to AI as a factor.
Authorities said each scam involved fake websites, and that AI has made creating these sites significantly easier. SCMP Economy also cited a case where one victim lost as much as HK$12.2 million, or about US$1.55 million.