Corporate breaches seen as main scam entry point by 66% of consumers

Over half reported exposure to scam attempts, exceeding the APAC average of 54%.

Corporate and service data breaches are seen as the primary route through which scammers access personal information, with 66% of consumers in Hong Kong identifying them as the main entry point, according to an LSEG report.

Over half (59%) identify interaction with suspicious links or attachments as a major data compromise pathway, followed by phishing and social media account vulnerabilities.

More than half of the respondents (59%) reported direct or indirect exposure to scam attempts, exceeding the Asia Pacific (APAC) average of 54%.

Meanwhile, 27% said they had been personally targeted in the past two years, one of the highest rates in the region.

Despite this, only 34% of those targeted reported financial losses, below the regional average of 46%.

Over the past 12 months, 36% said they had encountered at least one form of artificial intelligence (AI)-generated fraud.

The most common form was chatbots impersonating banks, retailers, or tech support, reported by 26% of respondents. Other forms included AI-generated images (17%), voice cloning (14%), and deepfake videos (11%).

Perceptions of rising scam activity remain elevated, with 76% of consumers believing scams are increasing, compared with the APAC average of 64%.