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In response to the increased number of telephone deception cases involving Mainland students in Hong Kong, Kowloon East (KE) Region and Tseung Kwan O District (TKODIST) jointly mounted a series of publicity campaigns from August to December 2021 to alert Mainland students of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) to the prevalent modi operandi of telephone deception and introduce the “Anti-Scam Helpline 18222” to enhance students’ anti-deception awareness.
With the assistance of the HKUST, officers organised more than 10 anti-deception seminars for over 500 Mainland and overseas students. Officers also set up booths on the campus and distributed anti-telephone deception publicity materials to teaching staff and students. Moreover, officers and Mainland students put up anti-telephone deception promotional posters in the prominent areas on the campus.
In addition, officers invited 80 Mainland students to visit the KE Regional Headquarters Complex on December 27, 2021 to enhance their understanding of police work. Officers also shared real cases of deception and anti-scam tips with them. In order to raise students’ awareness against telephone deception, officers posted advertisements on the bus body and the back of the seats of public minibuses that travel to and from the HKUST campus.
Furthermore, officers set up a WeChat communication group to disseminate the latest crime alert and anti-scam information to HKUST Mainland students. The group also provides an interactive platform for officers to enhance communication with the students and answer their questions related to telephone deception. Over 200 Mainland students have joined the group so far.
In order to strengthen the communication between the Force and HKUST, as well as to enhance the collaboration against telephone deception on campus, KE Region and TKODIST held an anti-scam liaison meeting with the representatives of HKUST in early January 2022 to discuss the prevalent crime trend, modi operandi, prevention methods and future publicity campaigns.
