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Hong Kong police chief flags rising investment scam losses for retirees

The police said 29,670 scam cases were recorded in the first eight months of 2026, up 5.0% year on year, and warned of a near doubling of scams where fraudsters pose as customer service officers.

Reported · Written up by our desk · Trade & Tariffs

Hong Kong police chief Joe Chow Yat-ming said the average loss suffered by elderly victims of investment scams rose by about a third year on year to HK$1.08 million in 2026, urging greater community vigilance against syndicates targeting retirees, according to SCMP Economy.

Chow warned of a recent surge in scams in which fraudsters pose as customer service officers, saying such cases nearly doubled from last year.

SCMP Economy reported Chow also cited that Hong Kong logged 29,670 scam cases in the first eight months of 2026, a 5.0% increase versus the same period in 2025, and said scams accounted for half of all crimes in the city.

Chow spoke at the launch of “Anti-fraud Cinema” organised by Standard Chartered Bank, SCMP Economy said.

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