Hong Kong Police and Two Partners Launch Livestream 'Anti-Scam Prep Course for Studying in Hong Kong'

Mainland Chinese students studying in Hong Kong have repeatedly become targets of scams in recent years.

The Anti-Deception Coordination Centre (ADCC) under the Commercial Crime Bureau of the Hong Kong Police Force, s/ash (a brand under China Mobile Hong Kong), and the social platform Xiaohongshu have collaborated for the first time to launch an 'Anti-Scam Prep Course for Studying in Hong Kong' via online livestream, spreading anti-scam information to mainland students who are about to arrive or have already arrived in Hong Kong.

According to a report by HK01, mainland students in their early days in Hong Kong often lack understanding of local systems and help channels due to changes in their living environment and information asymmetry.

Coupled with their focus on visas and academic matters, they can easily fall into the traps of criminals when lacking credible resources to verify information.

The main types of victimization cases include phone scams, rental and job-hunting traps, online romance investment scams, and 'virtual kidnapping' targeting family members.

According to statistics from the Anti-Deception Coordination Centre, between January and August 2026, Hong Kong recorded a total of 512 scam cases involving mainland students, with total losses amounting to HK$110 million (approximately S$17.92 million).

The report said that during the online livestream, ADCC Senior Inspector Yeung Nga-yung analyzed current mainstream scam tactics and new scam methods derived from artificial intelligence (AI) technology through real victim cases, and shared the 'three-character anti-scam mantra': 'hang up, verify, seek help', and introduced anti-scam applications, hotlines and other tools, calling on students to make good use of official anti-scam tools and help channels.

The organizers revealed that the anti-scam class livestream, as a pilot project of the series, will subsequently extend to tertiary institution campuses, including the 'All Hong Kong Tertiary Students Dem Beat Anti-Scam Competition' currently being prepared, in the hope of continuously raising non-local students' anti-scam awareness.