Chinese students studying in Hong Kong have become new targets in the eyes of fraud groups! BBC exposes the scam trap script.

Fraud has been rampant in Hong Kong recently. Despite the authorities disseminating a large number of promotional videos to prevent scams, new students from mainland China and new immigrants are still falling victim to tactics such as "public security, inspection, and law" as well as "false enthusiasm and real fraud." In some cases, the amount of fraud has reached as high as 9.2 million HKD. Last year, the Hong Kong police received 318 reports of "public security, inspection, and law" fraud, involving a total fraud amount of up to 230 million HKD. In addition to "public security, inspection, and law" fraud, there are also many "false compatriot" scams, which have caused victims to suffer greatly, losing large amounts of money, leaving both themselves and their families in despair.

Fraud groups typically target these new immigrants during the first few months after arriving in Hong Kong, taking advantage of their unfamiliarity with the area. They use fake online identities to intimidate and extort them, employing AI "deepfake" technology to trap victims into their schemes. The fraud groups create various scam scripts for their victims, tailoring a specific scam method for each individual. It is noteworthy that these fraud groups have a thorough understanding of the victims' personal information, knowing their names, social media accounts, and even the time and place of their entry into Hong Kong. There is a possibility that inside information is being leaked from within, which is a concern for Taiwan, where scams are rampant. The following analysis reports on the scam tactics.

Received a call impersonating the police and was accused of money laundering.

The "Public Security, Prosecution, and Court" refers to the collective legislative framework of the Public Security Bureau, the People's Procuratorate, and the courts in mainland China, representing the highest standards for criminal case adjudication in China. According to a report by BBC, Hong Kong has recently seen hundreds of cases of "Public Security, Prosecution, and Court" fraud, where criminals target Chinese students living in Hong Kong for telecom scams. This has instilled fear in students who receive fake documents and phone calls from so-called public security agencies, creating a terrifying atmosphere for them, making them believe that their bank accounts have been used for money laundering, leading them to be treated as suspects by the Chinese police, and demanding they pay a bail.

Xiaoqian received a phone call from someone claiming to be an official from the "Hong Kong Immigration Department." The official accused Xiaoqian of disseminating misleading information to Hong Kong citizens, which resulted in numerous complaints against her. Xiaoqian received this call on the tenth day of her arrival in Hong Kong. The fake official demanded that Xiaoqian address these complaints immediately, or it would affect her ability to process her Hong Kong identity card and her freedom of entry and exit. During the call, there was also another person impersonating a Chinese police officer who said that her information had been stolen, and Xiaoqian was already involved in a "money laundering" case.

Emotional blackmail victims, fraud warning key sentence: can't tell others

For the victim, Xiaoqian, the "Hong Kong Immigration Department" is a place full of authority, and the instructions given to her over the phone forced her to obediently comply. It is worth noting that the scam group also knew that Xiaoqian was in the process of applying for a Hong Kong identity card, which made her suspicious of the call gradually fade away, falling into the emotional blackmail trap set by the criminals. The scammers emotionally coerced Xiaoqian, telling her "not to tell anyone," warning that leaking state secrets could result in a prison sentence of three to five years, so she couldn't tell her parents, family, or friends that she was already a money laundering suspect.

The victim's phone camera is turned on for round-the-clock surveillance.

The scammer told the victim, Xiao Qian, that she must be monitored around the clock, keeping her phone camera on during private moments and turning on the recording in public places so that the police could know her every move. When Xiao Qian questioned this, the other party yelled at her, saying she was a criminal suspect, forcing her to submit to their authority. The scam group also threatened her, saying that the Hong Kong police would come to arrest her and take her back to the police in China for trial. In order to prove her innocence, Xiao Qian had no choice but to agree to pay a "bail." She asked her parents for money, falsely claiming it was for an asset certificate for studying abroad. Her parents borrowed money from everywhere, using their savings to help her raise the funds, and finally managed to gather 1.8 million HKD for Xiao Qian.

Fake enthusiastic fellow countryman scam

"Old folks deceive old folks, there's no discussion about deceiving you." When people are in a foreign land and encounter kind-hearted fellow countrymen offering help, they often unknowingly let down their guard. Scammers pretending to be fellow countrymen are targeting Chinese students living in Hong Kong on social media.

Ms. Wang, who applied for the "Quality Migrant Admission Scheme" to settle in Hong Kong, told the BBC that she was immediately targeted by numerous scam groups upon her arrival in Hong Kong. Ms. Wang, a Chinese student studying in Hong Kong, said that she needed to find accommodation as soon as she landed. She encountered a seemingly kind-hearted landlord on a social media site, who called himself "Old Hong Kong Drifter." He enthusiastically helped Ms. Wang with various information about food, clothing, housing, and transportation. After meeting this fake landlord in person and communicating via video call, she gradually fell into the trap of a virtual currency scam, losing 2 million HKD.

The victim is conducting an undercover plan to understand the fraud scheme.

After being victimized, Ms. Wang went undercover in various communities to investigate the scam tactics of those posing as "Hong Kong drifters." She discovered that the scam group was stealing videos and images of victims from major social media platforms, using AI deepfake technology to create fake videos and fabricate false identities to mislead victims. The scam group can constantly replace videos and faces with AI, and there are people specifically selling materials, stealing photos and videos from others on Instagram to sell to the scam group for fraud. Many people unconsciously leak personal information on social networks, such as having bought a house, where they went, and so on. This publicly available information is exploited by the scam group. The scam group uses a mix of true and false information, making it difficult for the public to discern what is real.

Hong Kong lawmakers advocate for the implementation of a "shared responsibility system" through commercial organizations.

Hong Kong lawmakers suggest that Hong Kong could follow the example of Singapore and Australia to implement a "shared responsibility system". If customers are defrauded, businesses should also bear joint guarantees and share the economic losses of the victims. Financial institutions and telecommunications companies should establish more protective measures, and social media platforms should also be responsible for removing advertisements from fraud groups.

Currently, Hong Kong has received reports of fraud with a case resolution rate of only 10%. As an ordinary citizen, the money lost after being scammed is almost impossible to recover, resulting in a lifelong pain.

Fraud is rampant globally, how can we prevent it? Yuval Noah Harari, the author of "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind," wrote in his book that the main key to human survival is "communication." Humans can continuously evolve and survive by passing down knowledge. Victims stepping forward to share their experiences is the best revenge against fraudsters, and it can also reduce the number of future victims. Exposing fraud is an act of kindness, a great merit. Fraud groups fear that the public will know how they operate, and we must not forget the human way of survival: "communication." By bringing fraudulent methods into the light, fraud groups will not be able to exist.

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