ADCC (Anti-Deception Coordination Centre)

The Anti-Deception Coordination Centre (ADCC) is a specialised unit of the Hong Kong Police Force established in 2017 to tackle the rapidly growing problem of telephone and online fraud. The centre operates around the clock, focusing primarily on cases where the victim is in the process of being defrauded. By intervening in real time, officers can contact banks to freeze accounts, alert victims, and sometimes recover funds before they are moved offshore.

The ADCC runs the 18222 helpline, which members of the public can call if they suspect they are being targeted by a scam or if they want to verify whether a contact they have received is legitimate. Calls are handled by multilingual staff trained to recognise the most common fraud scripts. The ADCC also maintains a public education programme and coordinates with mainland Chinese authorities on cross-border fraud cases.

Consumers who have already lost money should call 18222 immediately. Time is critical: the faster a report is made, the higher the probability that accounts containing stolen funds can be frozen. Once a police report has been filed, victims can also check the status of their Scameter entry at adcc.police.gov.hk and request that their own information be cleared if it has been mistakenly flagged.