Media Statements

Privacy Commissioner’s Office Offers Six Tips to Prevent Fraud
The Privacy Commissioner Demonstrates Deepfake Face Swapping

• Fraudsters hijacked accounts on instant messaging apps and impersonated the victims to send messages to the contacts contained in their address books, aiming to swindle the victims out of money or personal data.
• Fraudsters impersonated government officials, government departments or public bodies to disseminate fake messages to deceive people for money and/or personal data.

2. Scams on Social Media Platforms

• With the rising demand for travel, fraudsters created fake pages on social media platforms pretending to be traveling agencies and deceived victims by selling fake travel products such as hotels, dining and flight package deals.
• Fraudsters used fake advertisements on social media platforms to deceive citizens into providing personal data or participating in false investment schemes.

3. Scam Videos Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) Technology

• Fraudsters manipulated public footages, used photos or audio recordings of government officials or celebrities to produce videos using AI deepfake technology to deceive people into investing in fake investment schemes.
• Fraudsters obtained victims’ biometric data, such as their facial images and voice, through social media, video calls or online public footages, to create videos using deepfake technology and impersonated victims’ friends, relatives or colleagues to swindle money and/or personal data.

4. Telephone Scams

• Fraudsters impersonated hotline customer service representatives of reputable organisations to induce victims to share their personal data and transfer money to fraudsters’ accounts.

In light of these scams, the PCPD appeals to members of the public and organisations to beware of various forms of fraudulent tricks, particularly those involving AI deepfake technology, and offers six essential tips to safeguard personal data privacy:

1. Be vigilant: Think twice before providing any personal data, verify the purpose of collection of such data and whether it is mandatory to provide them. Do not disclose personal data to others arbitrarily, avoid clicking or scanning suspicious links and QR codes, and do not log into any suspicious websites;
2. Keep an eye on your accounts and transaction records: Regularly check online banking for any unusual log-in activities, unauthorised transfers or transactions in your bank accounts or credit cards;
3. Password protection: Change the passwords of online banking accounts from time to time and enable two-factor authentication (if available). Never share passwords with anyone;
4. Smart use of social media and instant messaging apps: Minimise the sharing of biometric data, such as portrait photos and videos, on social media platforms and instant messaging apps, and review the relevant default security and privacy settings;
5. Authenticate the identity of callers: Even if the caller makes a video call or can provide your personal data, if you are in doubt about the identity of the caller, you should verify the authenticity of the caller or relevant organisations through other contact methods; and
6. Fraud prevention information: Pay attention to the fraud prevention information published by the PCPD, the Police or relevant organisations. Share the information with friends and relatives (especially the elderlies and youngsters) to enhance their awareness of fraud prevention.