The number of phone scams in Hong Kong has tripled since a real-name SIM card registration system was implemented in 2022, despite the government’s claim that it would help crack down on fraud.
In 2024, police received 9,204 reports of phone scams, up from 3,213 in 2023 and 2,831 in 2022, security chief Chris Tang said on Wednesday, in a written reply to lawmaker Carmen Kan.
In the first eight months this year, the police recorded 4,922 cases, with over half of the victims aged 60 or above, Tang said.
The registration system, which took effect in March 2022, requires new SIM cards to be registered under the user’s real name.
The government said the regulation was designed to combat crimes, including phone scams. However, Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office Deng Zhonghua cited the registration scheme as one of a series of policies to protect China’s national security in a speech in July 2021.
Hong Kong has seen a sharp increase in overall scam-related crime figures in recent years. Between 2020 and 2024, the number of scams reported to police almost tripled.
Warn the public
To warn the public, police have been analysing trends and intelligence from the latest scam cases and releasing anti-scam messages through press conferences, social media, and the police’s “CyberDefender” website, Tang said.
Anti-scam leaflets are also distributed through telecommunications service providers to remind members of the public to be watchful of the latest fraud tactics, Tang said.
Information packs and leaflets are also distributed at health examination centres and the government’s Elderly Health Centres to target the elderly, who are more prone to being scammed.
Tang also touted the police force’s anti-scam mascot, “The Little Grape,” named for its homophone with the Cantonese word for “remind.”
Regarding migrants and students from mainland China, another scam-prone demographic, the police have produced anti-scam videos in collaboration with mainland immigration and criminal investigation authorities, Tang said.
The videos are broadcast at locations such as boundary control points as well as on mainland social media platforms such as Xiaohongshu and Douyin.
Mainland Chinese students studying in Hong Kong have been scammed out of tens of millions. Two universities – the University of Hong Kong and the City University of Hong Kong – said in January that nearly 100 students had fallen victim to scams, resulting in financial losses exceeding a total of HK$75 million.
Hong Kong has also proposed new offences under the real-name registration system to criminalise the improper use of SIMs registered in another person’s name, aiming to submit legislative amendments to the Legislative Council for scrutiny next year.
The government is seeking a maximum fine of HK$25,000 or 12 months’ imprisonment. The police will be primarily responsible for enforcement, according to the proposal.
