To combat scams, Hong Kong needs stronger crackdowns, greater vigilance

Hong Kong rightly prides itself on being one of the world’s safest cities with regard to violent crime. Yet the latest deception figures make clear that safety on the streets is no guarantee of safety over the phone and internet. Police are to be commended for their recent operations that smashed sophisticated fraud syndicates, including those employing hotel rooms as call centres and identity cards forged using artificial intelligence (AI) to launder money. But the underlying trend is hardly...