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CYBER2d agoHong Kong’s iPhone scam: how to protect your credit card from online fraudMore than 700 Hongkongers were shocked to discover that their credit cards had been used to place unauthorised orders for Apple’s new iPhone 18 Pro series handsets over the weekend. Although banks reassured victims they would not be charged as long as the cards were used with due care and the transactions were proven to be unauthorised, the incident still caused widespread concern over credit card security. The South China Morning Post asked information technology experts for practical tips on...South China Morning Post
CYBER2d agoApple should bear responsibility for Hong Kong iPhone card fraud, lawmaker saysApple is reviewing all current orders for suspicious transactions after more than 700 unauthorised credit card charges were reported in Hong Kong involving orders for its latest iPhone models. “All current orders are being reviewed before they are processed, and we are working to quickly identify and cancel any fraudulent transactions that may have been placed,” an Apple spokesman said on Monday. Over the weekend, many Hong Kong social media users reported unauthorised credit card transactions...South China Morning Post
CYBERSep 5How some grey-market crypto ATMs in Hong Kong can turn users into fraud victimsInside a tiny self-service laundromat in Quarry Bay in the east of Hong Kong Island, next to a wall of washing machines, stands a waist-high cryptocurrency terminal with signs reading “Elon Musk recommends Dogecoin” and “Buy bitcoin in one minute”. In order to obtain Dogecoin through the ATM, customers feed Hong Kong dollar notes into a slot and scan a QR code. The equivalent amount in cryptocurrency is then credited into their digital wallet. Such machines have proliferated across the city in...South China Morning Post
CYBERSep 3‘My nude became a sticker’: Hong Kong women say image abuse thrives despite lawFive years after a nude photo was taken without her consent, a woman opened Instagram to find the image had been turned into a sticker and sent back to her in a chat. Terrified that the sticker could already be circulating widely, the victim reached out to Emilia Wong Yue-kiu, a women’s rights activist and adult content creator who advocates for bodily autonomy. But Wong was pessimistic that reporting the case would help, noting it was just one of countless similar messages for help she had...South China Morning Post
CYBERSep 2Hong Kong watchdog sets integrity standards for government computers to fight misuseHong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has publicly unveiled its standards for the use of government computer systems after uncovering loopholes, including requiring bureaus and departments to self-check their compliance when requesting digital project funds. Danny Woo Ying-ming, commissioner of the ICAC, said on Wednesday that an investigation by his agency had found that some government computer systems had loopholes that raised the risk of corruption. “Once systems are...South China Morning Post
CYBERAug 30Hong Kong WhatsApp hijacking scams surge 170% to nearly 2,000 casesWhatsApp account hijacking scams in Hong Kong surged by nearly 170 per cent to almost 2,000 cases in the first seven months of this year, with one victim losing as much as HK$12.2 million (US$1.55 million). Police said the 1,993 cases logged from January to July represented a 169.7 per cent increase from the 739 cases recorded over the same period last year. The figure also surpassed the 1,669 cases recorded in all of 2025. The cases over the first seven months resulted in losses of HK$146.3...South China Morning Post
CYBERAug 28Hong Kong lawyer warns against doxxing after AIA staff suspended over mall brawlA lawyer has warned internet users in Hong Kong against exposing personal information of others on social media or risk committing the criminal offence of doxxing, after an insurance firm suspended an employee who was revealed to be allegedly involved in a brawl at a Kwun Tong shopping centre. Insurance service provider AIA on Thursday reportedly suspended an employee who was linked to a viral dispute among three women at a children’s play area the previous day. The trio was charged with...South China Morning Post
CYBERAug 27Hong Kong parents to get alerts over teens’ self-harm searches on InstagramMeta Platforms has started sending out alerts to parents whose children repeatedly search for content about suicide or self-harm on Instagram as part of broader efforts to strengthen online safety for young users. Parents supervising a teen’s account can receive notifications by email, text message, WhatsApp or Instagram, depending on the contact information available. They will also be directed to expert resources on how to approach potentially sensitive conversations. Philip Chua, Meta’s...South China Morning Post
CYBERAug 27Hong Kong privacy watchdog arrests boxer for allegedly doxxing opponentHong Kong’s privacy watchdog has arrested a boxer on suspicion of doxxing an opponent on social media platforms, disclosing the victim’s personal information and workplace without his consent. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) said on Thursday that the 29-year-old suspect had twice targeted the victim, a man he had fought at a boxing tournament in early 2025. On two occasions after the tournament – once in March last year and again this August – the suspect posted...South China Morning Post
CYBERAug 26Hong Kong man loses HK$2.8 million in investment scam, among 50 cases in past weekA Hong Kong man has lost more than HK$2.8 million (US$357,000) in an online investment scam in which fraudsters claiming to be employees of electricity companies duped him into investing in a “recyclable waste project”. Police also said on Wednesday that the force had recorded 50 investment scams in the past week, with the total losses exceeding HK$30 million. The force said the man, who is in his sixties, became acquainted with the scammer on Facebook. The fraudster claimed to be an employee of...South China Morning Post
CYBERAug 22Hong Kong police arrest 2 men allegedly linked to HK$500,000 phishing scamHong Kong police have arrested two men suspected of using 110 SIM cards to send phishing messages from a base of operations in a hotel and conning victims out of more than HK$500,000 (US$63,766). The force said on Saturday the men, aged 31 and 44, were arrested last Thursday on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud. They were allegedly linked to recent phishing scams in which fraudsters posed as delivery company staff, claiming victims had undelivered parcels, or as employees of online payment...South China Morning Post
CYBERAug 16Hong Kong ex-regulator manager charged over unauthorised access to confidential filesHong Kong’s corruption watchdog has charged a former manager at a financial regulator with unauthorised access to its internal computer system to view confidential case files and licensee data. Tong Ka-lei, 39, who previously worked in the enforcement division of the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), faces 12 counts of obtaining access to a computer with a view to dishonest gain for herself or another, in breach of the Crimes Ordinance. She is scheduled to appear at Eastern Court on...South China Morning Post
CYBERAug 12Paraguay probe into Hong Kong-born crypto exec’s death triggers ‘wrench attack’ warningSouth China Morning Post
CYBERAug 7Hong Kong woman loses HK$69m to scammers posing as mainland Chinese officialsA Hong Kong woman has been conned out of nearly HK$69 million (US$8.8 million) in a month-long scam involving fraudsters posing as mainland Chinese officials. Police said on Friday that the 43-year-old woman received calls from people claiming to be mainland law enforcement officers, who accused her of committing a crime and demanded money to prove her innocence. The victim transferred about HK$68.9 million to designated bank accounts in multiple transactions between July 2 and August 1. She...South China Morning Post
CYBERAug 5Hong Kong woman swindles landlords out of HK$4.3m in crypto investment scamHong Kong police have arrested a 67-year-old woman who posed as a prospective tenant to swindle two property owners out of HK$4.3 million (US$510,008) in a virtual currency investment scam. Investigators from the Western district crime squad said on Wednesday that the suspect had contacted two victims — who were separately advertising a flat and a parking space for rent — and offered to pay in advance to win their trust. She then persuaded them to join a supposed high-return investment...South China Morning Post
CYBERAug 4Hong Kong warns of scam sites posing as Canada, UK and Thailand e-visa portalsHong Kong’s privacy watchdog has warned of suspected fraudulent e-visa application websites that request personal data from unsuspecting applicants, with victims suffering losses of up to HK$1,700 (US$216). The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data said in a statement on Monday that it had received 16 inquiries or complaints over the past three months about the provision of personal data and fee payments to suspected fraudulent sites posing as e-visa application portals. “The...South China Morning Post
CYBERJul 29Hong Kong raises alert on AI voices as 150 WhatsApp hijackings lead to HK$26m lossesSouth China Morning Post
CYBERJul 27Hong Kong banks in early stages of preparing for quantum computing threats, HKMA saysHong Kong’s banking sector is still in the early stages of preparing for cybersecurity risks posed by quantum computing, the city’s de facto central bank said on Monday as it unveiled a new benchmark to track the industry’s readiness. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) launched its first Quantum Preparedness Index (QPI), which gave the sector a score of 2.3 out of 10, indicating that most banks are still building the foundations for a transition to the quantum era. The index, based on a...South China Morning Post
CYBERJul 18Hong Kong police arrest 61 in crackdown on phone scams as cases surge 46%The number of phone scams recorded in Hong Kong over the first five months of 2026 has surged 46 per cent compared with the same period last year, with a recent police operation arresting 61 suspects in cases involving more than HK$31 million (US$3.95 million). The suspects, aged 17 to 82, were arrested this month in a police operation code-named “Pebblepace” that smashed 54 phone scam cases, mainly involving the “guess who I am” tactic. The suspects were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to...South China Morning Post
CYBERJul 5Hong Kong must brace for AI bubble risk and quantum computer threat: HKMA chiefHong Kong must brace for the emerging risks of an artificial intelligence (AI) bubble bursting and quantum computers capable of hacking encrypted financial systems, the head of the city’s de facto central bank has warned. Eddie Yue Wai-man, chief executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), also said on Sunday that the banking regulator would focus on expanding the internationalisation of the yuan in the next few years. Yue cautioned that the current euphoria surrounding the AI sector...South China Morning Post
CYBERJul 3Fine firms for data breaches, Hong Kong cybersecurity experts urgeCybersecurity experts have called on authorities to impose fines on firms that suffer data breaches after the personal information of more than 1 million people linked to a leading Hong Kong appliance distributor was maliciously encrypted. They made the comments on Friday, a day after the city’s privacy watchdog announced it had launched an investigation into the breach, which was initially reported by Shun Hing Group on March 23. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data said the...South China Morning Post
CYBERJul 2Cyberattack on Hong Kong’s Shun Hing Group affects data of 1 million peopleSouth China Morning Post
CYBERJun 2978 arrested as Hong Kong police bust HK$5 million online shopping scamsHong Kong police have arrested 78 people in a citywide crackdown on online shopping fraud, solving 165 cases involving more than HK$5 million (US$637,565) in losses, including one victim who was cheated out of HK$1.2 million while seeking cheaper medicine. Officers arrested 59 men and 19 women aged between 15 and 73 during the operation code-named “Blacksword”, which ran from June 15 to 26. Of them, 69 were suspected holders of mule accounts used to transfer or process illicit proceeds, with the...South China Morning Post
CYBERJun 29Hong Kong physiotherapist loses HK$5m in scam involving ‘beautiful assistant’A Hong Kong physiotherapist has been scammed out of HK$5 million (US$637,570) after falling victim to an online investment trap that involved helping a virtual “beautiful assistant” hit sales targets, police have said. The case, revealed by police on Monday via their Facebook page, was among more than 80 reports of online investment scams received in the past week, with total losses exceeding HK$86 million. Details released on police’s CyberDefender page on Monday showed that the local...South China Morning Post
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