a day ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Online job scams in Hong Kong jump 92% amid rise in ‘click farming' tactics
The number of online employment scams in Hong Kong recorded from January to May nearly doubled from the same period last year, while losses jumped by 89 per cent to HK$480 million (US$61.1 million), with police attributing the rise to 'click farming' swindles proliferating.
Superintendent Rachel Hui Yee-wai of the force's cybersecurity and technology crime bureau said the sharp increase was due to a change of tactics by swindlers, who were claiming to offer rewards for online tasks rather than seeking payments for fake job offers.
'Scammers' targets have expanded to include anyone, not just students and jobseekers. Even if a person is not looking for a job, they can also be targeted,' she said.
Police recorded 2,148 online employment scams in the first five months, a 92.1 per cent increase from the 1,118 cases logged over the same period in 2024. Losses from such scams rose from HK$260 million to HK$480 million.
Police figures showed that technology-based crimes, which cover various types of online fraud, were on the rise. The force recorded 13,438 cases in the first five months of 2025, up by 2.6 per cent from the same period last year.
Related losses increased by 13.6 per cent, going from HK$2.2 billion to HK$2.5 billion.
