Hong Kong online investment scams surge 20% as losses hit HK$3.08 billion

Hong Kong recorded a 20 per cent increase in online investment scams in the first 10 months of the year, with victims losing HK$3.08 billion (US$395.9 million), according to police. Superintendent Theodora Lee Wai-see of the force’s Anti-Deception Coordination Centre also revealed on Monday that 83 per cent of all fraudulent messages were disseminated through Meta-owned platforms including Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram. Overall, Hong Kong residents lost HK$6.43 billion to various scams over the first 10 months of 2025, an 8 per cent decrease over the same period last year. Of the 35,831 scam cases reported, 4,515 involved online investment fraud, with these losses rising 30 per cent year on year to HK$3.08 billion. About 2,000 cases were reportedly related to WhatsApp, another 800 to Facebook and 400 to Instagram, according to Lee. Lee said common investment scams involved messages purportedly sent by financial experts offering tips or courses. The scammers would then lure victims to invest through fraudulent apps or websites.
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