Hong Kong recorded a 5 percent increase in overall crime last year, largely due to a sharp rise in fraud cases, Police Commissioner Raymond Siu Chak-yee announced on Tuesday.

Reviewing the city’s law and order situation at a press conference, Siu said that fraud cases jumped by 11.7 percent year-on-year to 44,480, accounting for 46.9 percent of all crimes.

Approximately 61.8 percent of these frauds were internet-related, he said. In particular, 318 fraud cases involved Chinese mainland students studying in Hong Kong, resulting in losses exceeding HK$230 million ($29.5 million).

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Nearly 80 percent of the victims were first-year students, often targeted by scammers prior to the start of the academic year.

Despite the increase, the police commissioner noted that the growth rate has slowed compared to the 40-plus percent surges seen in 2022 and 2023.

The total amount lost to fraud also decreased by HK$30million to HK$9.15 billion last year, signaling that anti-fraud measures implemented by police and stakeholders over the past three years are beginning to yield results.

“Looking back on the past year, the police have launched a series of enhanced measures to build a fraud prevention barrier for the public,” he said.

“They include collaborations with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), the banking industry, and the Office of the Communications Authority and telecommunications companies,” he added.

Fraud cases peaked at 1,100 in July but dropped to a monthly average of 529 in the fourth quarter, which he attributed to heightened public awareness campaigns.

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Although police launched campus awareness initiatives, including lectures, posters, and even restroom messages to prevent fraud targeting mainland students, Siu expressed concern that many students remained disengaged from the issue.

To address the problem at its source, he said the Hong Kong police will work with mainland authorities to educate prospective students and their parents before they arrive in the city.

Earlier, Siu told a meeting of the Legislative Council’s Security Affairs Committee that arrests of mainland visitors increased by 40 percent last year, with 2,161 detained.

Of these, 950 were linked to fraud and money laundering, often involving “dummy” bank accounts used by syndicates to collect illicit funds.

Many suspects were hired to open accounts in Hong Kong before quickly returning to the mainland. To combat this, Hong Kong police are considering sharing a blacklist of offenders with mainland authorities.

The detection rate for fraud cases remained low at 10.6 percent, with many scams involving overseas-based perpetrators, complicating enforcement efforts.

Siu noted that police are investigating how scammers access personal data, particularly through agencies assisting students with Hong Kong applications.

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Siu also addressed lawmaker’s inquiries over Hong Kong residents being lured to Southeast Asia for illegal work, confirming that the authorities have received 28 reports starting from 2023, including three in December last year. Nineteen individuals have returned safely, while a task force is working to rescue the remaining nine.

In addition to fraud cases, most major crimes—such as homicide, robbery, and burglary—declined in 2024, with some even reaching their lowest levels on record.

Siu outlined three priorities for 2025: maintaining national security, intensifying crime prevention, and ensuring the safe execution of the 15th National Games, co-hosted by Hong Kong, Macao, and Guangdong in November.