Hong Kong Scams: Online, Investment & Fraud Guide
Common scams in Hong Kong and how to report them to the HKPF, the ADCC hotline 18222, and your bank.
Emergency number: 999 (emergency), 18222 (anti-deception hotline) — verify on official sources.
Last reviewed: 1 August 2026
Hong Kong faces high rates of telephone and online deception, investment fraud, romance scams, and job scams. The Hong Kong Police Force's Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau investigates cybercrime and operates the CyberDefender public awareness programme, and the Anti-Deception Coordination Centre (ADCC) runs the 18222 hotline — a critical resource immediately after a transfer, as it can attempt to intercept funds in transit.
Telephone deception here has well-known scripts. 'Fake officials' call claiming to be Mainland public security, prosecutors, or customs: your identity was allegedly used in a money-laundering or parcel case across the border, and you must prove innocence by transferring savings to a 'supervised account' — sometimes after days of psychological control, fake arrest warrants shown over video, and instructions to isolate from family. Students from the Mainland studying in Hong Kong are heavily targeted, including with staged 'virtual kidnapping' demands sent to parents. The older 'Guess who I am' call — a scammer posing as a relative in trouble — still catches elderly victims. No genuine authority, in Hong Kong or the Mainland, ever demands transfers by phone.
Online, investment and romance fraud dominate losses: pig-butchering grooming into fake trading and crypto platforms, 'insider tips' groups on WhatsApp and Telegram impersonating financial celebrities, and naked-chat blackmail targeting users of dating apps. Job scams push 'click farm' and order-boosting tasks that require growing deposits, and phishing impersonates banks, HKPost, and payment platforms to harvest credentials and FPS transfers. The police's Scameter tool lets you check suspicious numbers, accounts, and URLs before paying. If money has just moved, call 18222 and your bank's fraud line without delay — interception is genuinely possible while funds sit in the receiving account.
Common scams
- Telephone deception — callers impersonating police, courts, or government officials
- Investment and crypto fraud
- Romance and pig-butchering scams
- Job scams offering part-time online work
Tourist-specific scams
- Overcharging in tourist-area shops and restaurants
- Counterfeit goods in tourist markets
- Dishonest electronics shops with bait-and-switch pricing
Online shopping scams
- Phishing impersonating Hong Kong banks or government services
- Online shopping non-delivery via fake sites
- Social media account takeover
- Fake 'insider tip' investment groups on WhatsApp and Telegram
Job scams
- Task scams requiring deposits to 'unlock' earnings
- Fake recruitment requiring personal data or upfront fees
- 'Click farm' and order-boosting jobs demanding growing deposits
Romance scams
- Dating-app romance leading to crypto investment grooming
- Naked-chat blackmail ('sextortion') via dating and social apps
- 'Guess who I am' calls impersonating relatives in trouble
Investment scams
- Fake trading platforms and unauthorised investment schemes
- Pig-butchering combining romance with crypto investment pressure
How to report a scam here
- If money was just transferred, call the ADCC immediately on 18222 to attempt interception
- Contact your bank's fraud line to freeze the account
- Report cybercrime to the HKPF Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau
- File a police report at the nearest police station or the e-Report Centre online
Local reporting & protection links
- Cybercrime reporting
- Consumer protection
- Police
- ADCC anti-deception hotline — Dial 18222 immediately if fraud is in progress
- CyberDefender (HKPF public platform)
Always verify reporting routes and emergency contacts on the official government or agency website for your country.
Bank & payment guidance
Call the ADCC on 18222 and your bank's fraud line immediately — speed is critical, as Hong Kong banks can attempt to intercept transfers that have not yet been withdrawn, and the ADCC coordinates freezes across banks. Use the number on your card or in the official app, never one given by the caller. Say that you were deceived into authorising the payment, ask for the account to be frozen and the receiving account reported, and note the reference number. Mention whether the payment went by FPS, since instant transfers make the interception window shorter. Before paying anyone new in future, check the account number, phone number, or URL against the police Scameter — banks also surface Scameter warnings on some transfers, and overriding one under pressure weakens any later claim. No genuine police officer or government official, local or Mainland, demands transfers by phone, and if you were held in a long 'investigation' call, tell the bank that too — it flags the case as fake-official fraud.
Evidence to preserve
- Screenshot all messages, profiles, websites and payment pages
- Save transaction references, account numbers and crypto wallet addresses
- Keep emails with full headers where possible
- Note dates, times, names and phone numbers used
Frequently asked questions
What is the ADCC 18222 hotline?
The Anti-Deception Coordination Centre (ADCC) is operated by the Hong Kong Police Force and provides a 24/7 hotline at 18222. If you have been defrauded and a transfer was recently made, calling 18222 immediately gives the best chance of intercepting the funds.
What is CyberDefender?
CyberDefender is the HKPF's public cybersecurity awareness programme at cyberdefender.hk. It provides education on scams, cybercrime trends, and self-protection resources for residents and businesses.
Are telephone deception scams common in Hong Kong?
Yes. A common variant involves callers impersonating Mainland Chinese law enforcement claiming the victim is under investigation for financial crimes in China and must pay to 'clear' their name. These are scams — real authorities do not demand money by phone.
Sources
- National police and cybercrime portals (verify on official sites)
- FTC / Action Fraud / Scamwatch consumer guidance