WhatsApp scams in Hong Kong soar 170 percent, exceeding entire last year's total

WhatsApp account hijacking scams in Hong Kong have already surpassed last year's annual total in just seven months, with police logging 1,993 cases between January and July that cost victims HK$146.3 million.

The 1,993 cases represent a 169.7 per cent jump from the 739 cases recorded over the same period in 2025, and have already exceeded the 1,669 cases logged for all of last year. One victim alone lost HK$12.2 million (US$1.55 million), while several others suffered individual losses ranging between HK$1 million and more than HK$10 million.

Total losses decline despite case surge

While the number of incidents has climbed sharply, the aggregate financial loss fell 22.7 per cent from HK$189.2 million in the first seven months of 2025. Police cautioned, however, that the threat remains severe given the scale of losses sustained by individual victims.

AI fuels fake website generation

Superintendent Hui Yee-wai of the cyber security and technology crime bureau attributed the surge to widespread use of social media and instant messaging platforms among Hong Kong residents. He warned that artificial intelligence has become a key enabler, making it significantly easier for criminals to generate the fake websites used in every single scam.

"Every scam involved fake websites, while AI has made generating these fake websites significantly easier," Hui said.

Source: South China Morning Post