The number of phishing scams in Hong Kong fell by more than half last year but total losses suffered by victims doubled to HK$110 million (US$14 million), police have said.

The latest numbers were revealed as police warned that workers remained susceptible to such scams. A recent phishing simulation involving hundreds of organisations across the city found that more than one in eight employees taking part clicked on malicious email links and nearly half went on to submit personal data.

Police said 1,093 phishing cases were recorded in 2025, down by 60 per cent from the 2,731 a year earlier. But total losses surged by 112.9 per cent to HK$110 million, with the average amount stolen in each case rising more than fourfold to about HK$100,000.

Police said the trend reflected a shift in how scams were carried out, with criminals increasingly seeking to take over victims’ accounts rather than only stealing credit card details.

“Previously, phishing links were sent aiming to obtain credit card information,” said acting senior superintendent Rachel Hui Yee-wai of the cyber security and technology crime bureau, adding that scammers would then simply use the information to make unauthorised purchases.

“But in recent years, these links aim to take over accounts – they could be people’s securities accounts, online banking accounts or even WhatsApp accounts to go on and scam friends and family.”