HK and SG police join hands to fight online scams

The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) and Singapore Police Force (SPF) have partnered up for the first time to unveil an anti-scam advisory video called "Honey Money".

The video, which was posted on both parties' social media pages on 30 May, features Hong Kong senior inspector Felix Lai and the Singapore assistant superintendent Kelwin Tan strolling along the waterfront and chatting via a video call in English and Cantonese.

Tan then hears someone crying near Lai, who goes to check out on him and finds that a Hong Kong man fell prey to an online love scam. 

The man tells Lai that he recently got to know a woman over WhatsApp who claimed to want to build a future with him. However, she suggested he should download an investment app that appeared to be taking advantage of him.

"But as I was about to collect my money, I realised I couldn’t withdraw a single dollar. I’ve lost all my savings. I’m too ashamed to face my family," the man tells Lai. 

The video then cuts to Lai and Tan in uniform, highlighting the rampancy of scams globally and in both regions. “In recent years, scams have wreaked havoc globally. He was not the only victim,” said Lai.

Lai then urges anyone who suspects they have fallen prey to scams to call HKPF’s anti-scam helpline and download the mobile app “Scameter+” (防騙視伏器). Meanwhile, Tan urges the audience to call Singapore’s anti-scam helpline or visit www.scamalert.sg if they are in question of being scammed.

The SPF’s Facebook post also lists advice for the public, including adding the ScamShield app and security features, checking for scam signs with official sources, and telling the authorities, family, and friends about scam encounters.

A check by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE saw on Singapore's police force's Facebook that, the video has garnered 249 likes and 93 shares, with many commenting that this is a nice cross border collaboration.

Don't miss: Number of eCommerce scams in SG doubles in 2023, Facebook sees highest cases

This is due to a surge of online scams in Hong Kong and Singapore. According to a report released by Inter-Ministry Committee on Scams' (IMCS) eCommerce Marketplace Transaction Safety Ratings (TSR) 2024, eCommerce scams remain one of the top scam types in Singapore. In fact, in 2023, there were 9,783 reported eCommerce scam cases, a doubling from 4,762 cases in 2022.

Don't miss: HK consumer watchdog offers tips amid surge in online shopping scams

Meanwhile, the number of online shopping scams surged along with the rising trend of Hongkongers turning to online stores or second-hand goods trading platforms. In May 2023, the figures cited by the Consumer Council showed that the number of online shopping scams has increased sharply from 2,187 in 2018 to 8,135 in 2022.

(Photo courtesy: HKPF's official Facebook page)

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