Hong Kong’s crime rate rises 7.9% in first seven months, with fraud accounting for almost half of all cases

September 13, 2024 – (Hong Kong) Hong Kong has seen a notable increase in overall crime rates, with incidents rising by 7.9% in the first seven months of the year compared to the same period last year, according to the latest data released by the city’s Fight Crime Committee. The report, which delves into the nature and escalation of crime in the city, highlighted a worrying 8.3% increase in violent crime, with fraud cases accounting for about 45% of the total number of incidents.

The total financial impact of the reported fraud was a staggering HK$5.14 billion, a significant increase of HK$1.83 billion from last year. Authorities are raising the alarm over the recent discovery that transnational criminal groups have set up operations in Hong Kong, using fake identities to purchase local SIM cards to orchestrate scams, primarily posing as customer service representatives – a method that has fooled many.

In a recent crackdown, police dismantled four operational bases run by these groups, arresting 11 individuals and seizing over 80,000 prepaid SIM cards. The operation also helped prevent 17 victims from transferring money to the fraudsters, demonstrating the scale and sophistication of these scams.

The Fight Crime Committee briefing noted that extortion cases increased by 34.8%, with nude chat blackmail accounting for almost 80% of these incidents, which has been a major factor in the increase in violent crime. Online scams, which account for around 60% of all fraud cases, have seen a 1.5-fold increase in phone-related fraud compared to last year.

Authorities have again warned the public to remain vigilant, especially regarding new methods such as fraudulent customer service calls. They advised that all requests for verification or actions to cancel registered services that come from alleged representatives of telecommunications providers, online shopping platforms or other institutions should be treated with the utmost suspicion and independently verified.