Scammers after your pics and videos, official warns

Hongkongers should avoid sharing photos or videos of themselves too widely to reduce the risk of scammers hijacking their images, Privacy Commissioner Ada Chung warned on Friday. On an RTHK programme, Chung said fraudsters are using technology to create deepfake images and videos to trick people into handing over money. Hong Kong employees of two multinational companies have fallen victim to such scams this year. "If people really like sharing photos and videos of themselves, they should only share it with a specific audience group or privately. This will already make it much safer. They do not have to share it publicly," she said. Chung said her office received around 600 enquiries relating to fraud in the first six months of the year, up nearly 90 percent on the same period last year. She said most involved phone scams, including cases where callers impersonated employees of various organisations to try to get people to give away personal information.