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In the past decade, the financial loss resulting from email scams made up 70 per cent of the total loss of all technology crimes reported in Hong Kong. The Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau (CSTCB) analysed the modus operandi of email scams and discovered that human negligence was the main contributor, and 70 per cent of the victims were small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Hence, CSTCB joined hands with the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and 15 organisations representing around 15 000 SMEs, to promote an anti-email scam project named “e-GUARD” through a multi-agency approach. Under Project e-GUARD, a suspicious email detection system, “V@nguard”, was co-developed by CSTCB and HKU to enable local SMEs to detect suspicious emails in daily business communications automatically. Through the publicity campaign of Project e-GUARD, CSTCB hoped to raise the business sector’s awareness of email scams and cyber security.
On December 30, 2021, CSTCB held a press conference for the launch of Project e-GUARD, during which Professor Yiu Siu-ming of the Department of Computer Science of HKU, Chairman of the SME Committee of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce Mr Yeung Man-kin, Senior Superintendent Wong Chun-yue and Chief Inspector Cheung Wai-ho from CSTCB spoke on the global trend and modus operandi of email scams, the technical operation of V@nguard, as well as the threats and challenges posed by email scams to local SMEs.
V@nguard was launched on January 10, 2022, and is available for free download on the CyberDefenders’ website. For enquiries, please call 2860-2913 or email vanguard@police.gov.hk.
Please click the following link to visit the CyberDefenders’ website：（https://cyberdefender.hk/en-us/）.
