Hong Kong police arrest 118 for e-commerce scams involving HK$5 million in losses

Suspects include 82 men and 36 women linked to 120 online shopping scam cases, largely related to concert tickets

Hong Kong police have arrested 118 people in a citywide crackdown on online shopping scams involving losses of more than HK$5 million (US$636,940), largely linked to concert ticket sales amid a boom in the city’s live music performances.

One of the cases included a victim selling a clothes iron who was swindled out of HK$1 million.

Those arrested included 82 men and 36 women, aged between 18 and 74, who were linked to 120 online shopping scam cases, according to the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau’s Superintendent Ko Tik. The cases involved 321 victims, with total reported losses exceeding HK$5.2 million.

Last year, police received 44,480 fraud reports involving HK$9.15 billion in losses, with online shopping scams accounting for about 42 per cent of cases.