
AI-generated summary
Hong Kong has seen a 5% increase in total scam cases during the first eight months of 2026 compared to 2025. Scams currently account for half of all crimes reported in the city.
The average loss suffered by elderly victims of investment scams in Hong Kong rose by a third year on year to HK$1.08 million (US$137,600) in 2026, the city’s police chief has said, calling for greater community vigilance against syndicates preying on retirees.
Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming on Tuesday also warned of a recent surge in scams involving fraudsters posing as customer service officers, with such cases nearly doubling from last year.
Speaking at the launch of “Anti-fraud Cinema” organised by Standard Chartered Bank, Chow said Hong Kong recorded 29,670 scam cases in the first eight months of this year, a 5 per cent increase over the same period in 2025, accounting for half of all crimes in the city.
He added that 5,119 scams were recorded in August alone, a monthly record high.

A knife attack occurred at a mass merchandiser in Incheon, South Korea, injuring eight people, including one who lost his heart and lung function. The 59-year-old suspect A was arrested. He was wearing electronic shackles and carrying a large amount of drugs when he committed the crime. The police are investigating his motive for the crime and the ingredients of the drugs.

A 59-year-old man stabbed at least eight people at a shopping centre in Incheon, South Korea, on Tuesday. One victim remains in critical condition following the attack, which ended when bystanders and business owners subdued the suspect.

A murder and arson occurred in Bade District, Taoyuan City. A 25-year-old woman named Lu returned home early on the 11th and was followed by a 36-year-old man named Lin. She slit her throat and burned her body to death. Lin, a man involved in the case, had a drug record and was found with first-level drugs when he was arrested. Relatives and friends have left messages on the victim’s IG to express their condolences.

In March this year, a man named Wu who posted a video on the social platform Threads threatening to plant bombs at airports in Taipei, Taoyuan, and Kaohsiung was prosecuted by the Taitung District Prosecutor's Office for violating the Civil Aviation Act. When the police arrested him, they found a large amount of cash and multiple mobile phones on him, and the investigation into another case is being expanded.

Three members of Myanmar's Kokang "Wei Family Criminal Group" were sentenced to death at the first instance by the Intermediate People's Court of Quanzhou City, Fujian Province, China for their involvement in murder and telecommunications fraud. The group involved more than 58 billion yuan in funds, and Chinese state media also revealed the tragic situation of victims being tied up with chains and shot in the park.

High Point Comprehensive Channel's program "Zhen Zhen You Ci" exposed many cases of deception and murder in the name of exorcism, onmyoji and living Buddhas, including exaggerated scams such as a mentally disturbed man who died of a heroin overdose, a teenager who had his throat cut out and tortured to death, and someone who went to the United States and was tricked into swallowing a plastic toy.