Hong Kong recorded over 17,000 deception cases in the first five months of 2025 — an 8 percent hike compared with 2024, with a sharp increase in online shopping and job-seeking scams, and telephone frauds, the city’s police chief said on Tuesday.
Joe Chow Yat-ming, the commissioner of police of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government, told a meeting of North District Council that financial losses relating to the frauds amounted to HK$2.87 billion ($365.6 million), a year-on-year reduction of 25 percent.
A total of 35,888 crimes were recorded in Hong Kong during the first five months of 2025, marking a 2.8 percent year-on-year decrease.
The police have been actively discussing with the banking sector how to prevent the establishment of puppet accounts, and engaging in intelligence exchanges and cross-border cooperation with Chinese mainland and overseas law enforcement agencies, Chow said.
He noted that deception cases on concert tickets logged an increase since the opening of Kai Tak Sports Park, and said the police will keep working on anti-scamming education and campaigns.
In the third quarter, the police will enhance the function of “Scameter+”, a one-stop mobile application to help the public identify frauds and online pitfalls and increase their crime prevention awareness.
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On combating illegal drugs, Chow said, the police are working with the Department of Justice, hoping to establish sentencing guidelines for offenses related to the “space oil” drug. He pointed out that the HKSAR government has listed etomidate, the main ingredient of space oil, as a dangerous drug, and the maximum penalty can be imprisonment for life.
Space oil, a liquid to which harmful substances have been illegally added, is often inhaled through electronic cigarettes – especially by teenagers.
Between February and June, there have been 311 cases involving this substance, resulting in the arrest of 390 people. In response to youths purchasing space oil drugs through online platforms, the police launched two operations from February to April, apprehending 114 people and seizing 227 kilograms of narcotics.
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The police will use real-life cases to illustrate the dangers of space oil, and have provided simplified information kits on the drug to primary and secondary schools, Chow said, stressing that he was confident the force would succeed in cracking down on the illegal drug.
