Elderly scam victims lose HK$850,000 on average, but ones who know finance lose more

Cases involving older Hongkongers rose by 17 per cent in first quarter, with police saying those with investment history are more vulnerable

Investment scams targeting Hong Kong’s elderly rose by 17 per cent in the first quarter of 2026 against a year ago, despite an overall decline in the number of cases, with police warning that better-educated retirees with more investment experience were more vulnerable to fraudsters.

Superintendent Theodora Lee Wai-see of the force’s commercial crime bureau said elderly victims’ losses contributed to the 18.6 per cent rise in total losses incurred from scams between January and March compared with the same period in 2025, even as the number of cases fell.

“We can see that in investment scams, the average loss for elderly victims is close to HK$1.01 million, showing that once the elderly fall into investment scams, they suffer serious losses,” Lee said.

In the first quarter, Hong Kong recorded 9,427 scam cases in which HK$1.85 billion was lost. The figures marked a 0.6 per cent drop in the number of cases and an 18.6 per cent increase in losses compared with the same period last year.

Notably, 1,264 of the latest victims were over the age of 60 – a third more than in the same period last year. Losses suffered by these elderly victims rose by 79 per cent year on year to reach HK$530 million.

Investment scams involving the elderly increased by 17.1 per cent to 329 cases, with losses jumping by 68.9 per cent to HK$330 million.