Lattes to take on scammers? Hong Kong police chief suggests putting anti-fraud slogans on coffee cups, restaurant napkins to raise awareness amid surge in cases

The police chief said the force had plans to raise scam awareness by including anti-fraud messages in the everyday lives of Hongkongers.

“We’re thinking about a lot of different ways right now. For example, we are currently in talks with some catering groups, since Hong Kong people love to go out and eat,” he said.

“Maybe we can put some slogans on napkins or on cups at coffee shops ... We will show [anti-fraud messages] to you even if you don’t ask for them.”

Siu added investment scams also increased last year compared with 2022, accounting for nearly two-thirds, or HK$5.9 billion, of the total losses in 2023, with many highly-educated people falling for them.

“We see many victims … some are even CEOs of international companies or people with investment experience,” he said.

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“Oftentimes they see ads online that peddle investment opportunities that claim to have low risks and high returns, and the victims themselves take the initiative to reach out to the scammers.”

The commissioner explained that the scammers made themselves appear more legitimate by providing a platform for victims to monitor the performance of their so-called investments, with some even giving real initial payouts to lure people to double-down on their initial sum.

He gave the example of a woman who made initial “investments” of HK$50,000 and saw HK$10,000 in “returns” in her bank account the same day. The victim then proceeded to give the scammers HK$3 million.

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By the time victims discovered they were being scammed, it was often too late as the money would have already been sent overseas, making cases even harder to trace, Siu said.

Siu called on the public to make full use of the government’s anti-fraud tools, such as the round-the-clock 18222 “Anti-Scam Helpline” offering help in suspected deception cases, and the force’s “Scameter” app, which allows users to enter information such as phone numbers, email addresses, or web URLs for risk assessment.

Separately, Siu also said police would handle illegal parking on the streets based on discretion during the Lunar New Year holiday.

“But it won’t be a one-size-fits-all approach,” he said. “If illegal parking is found to be very serious and may even pose a danger, we will also take enforcement action. I hope everyone understands that it’s unfair to blame our colleagues for giving out parking tickets.”