Lawmaker Johnny Ng Kit-chong said Chinese students had become “prime targets” for scammers due to “multiple vulnerabilities”, including their limited familiarity with local laws, potential language barriers and uncertainty about their new environment.
Ng said that by limiting access to certain campus facilities until students had completed the training, the universities would ensure more students completed the testing. Voluntary programmes often had low participation rates, he said.
“These measures aren’t meant to treat students with suspicion, but rather to provide concrete protection against scams, demonstrating active collaboration between universities and law enforcement,” he said.
Lawmaker and former security minister Lai Tung-kwok agreed HKU’s new measure was a useful tool to help provide reminders to mainland students.
He said the measures were “proportional” given the “serious consequences” and what were likely to be heavy financial losses to students’ families.
A PolyU spokesman said the university had been collaborating with police to implement various measures and organise activities to enhance students’ awareness of the risks posed by scams.
“Since July last year, the university has mandated that all new students complete an online anti-deception training kit and test, primarily designed by police, as a prerequisite for admission,” the spokesman said.
PolyU said it had also held seminars to share anti-deception information and set up 15 WeChat groups in collaboration with police to keep students informed about the latest updates on fraud-related matters.
HKU said it had distributed fraud prevention kits to help students identify potential scams and avoid financial losses.
The material included information on four common types of fraud, as well as videos and the multiple-choice questionnaire. The university said the move would help students, especially those “new to Hong Kong and from the mainland” to “understand the relevant information in person”.
“It is hoped that they can complete the task as soon as possible to enhance their anti-fraud awareness,” the university said.
Mainland Chinese students in Hong Kong have found themselves increasingly targeted by scams in recent years.
On Friday, the Post learned that an 18-year-old mainland student at HKU was cheated out of HK$9.2 million (US$1.2 million) after receiving a call from a fraudster claiming she was involved in a money-laundering case across the border.
In November, Hong Kong police issued a warning over a rising trend of scams in which fraudsters impersonate officials and target mainlanders after a case in which criminals tried to stage the kidnapping of an 18-year-old to extort HK$6 million from his father.
This article was first published on SCMP.
