Hongkongers lose HK$220 million to customer service scams in August

AI Summary

Hong Kong police reported that customer-service impersonation scams caused losses exceeding HK$220 million in August, more than three times the average monthly losses recorded earlier in the year. Authorities say scammers are increasingly using live calls, screen sharing, and malicious apps to take control of victims' devices.

Scams involving fraudsters posing as customer service officers caused losses of more than HK$220 million (US$28.2 million) in August in Hong Kong, more than triple the monthly average in the first seven months of the year, police had said. The police force also warned that scammers had shifted their modus operandi from using phishing links to taking real-time control of victims through direct calls and screen sharing, or tricking them into installing a malicious app that turned mobile phones...