Frontier+ crackdown nets over 1,800 suspects

Police in Hong Kong and six partner countries and regions arrested more than 1,800 suspects and intercepted about HK$157 million ($20 million) in fraudulent funds during a cross-border anti-scam operation in April and May.

The joint operation involved over 2,700 law enforcement officers from China's Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, as well as from South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and the Maldives. It was facilitated by Frontier+, a collaboration network aimed at enhancing information sharing and combating transnational scam syndicates.

The operation dismantled multiple syndicates involved in online shopping, phone, investment and job scams. Around 32,000 bank accounts were frozen, officials said at a news conference in Hong Kong on Tuesday afternoon.

Wong Chun-yue, chief superintendent of the Commercial Crime Bureau of the Hong Kong Police Force, said about 330 suspects believed to be connected to cases involving HK$475 million were taken into custody in Hong Kong.

Police have contacted overseas victims of local fraud cases through Frontier+, underscoring the platform's value in safeguarding people's property across regions, Wong said.

Established in October last year, Frontier+ has grown to include anti-scam law enforcement agencies from 10 countries and regions so far. Australia, Canada and Indonesia are also members.

Intercepting fraudulent funds is the primary goal of Frontier+, Wong said, adding that the platform also supports intelligence and technical sharing among member regions.

Because of Hong Kong's geographical proximity to the Chinese mainland, Wong said local authorities are more familiar with fraud cases involving mainland students. Hong Kong's experience in promoting fraud prevention can serve as a model for other regions that host mainland students, he said.

"The strategies we employ can serve as a model for others," Wong said.

Representatives from Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and China's Macao also attended the news conference and shared updates on the joint operation, as well as the latest scam trends.

Thai authorities said they had investigated 203 scams and identified 28,771 "money mules" — people who knowingly or unknowingly help transfer illegally acquired money. A total of 103 million Thai baht ($3.13 million) has been recovered from 10,854 frozen accounts, they said.

Aileen Yap, assistant commissioner of the Anti-Scam Command of the Singapore Police Force, said Singapore has recorded more than 600 cases involving online subscription services. Fraudsters impersonated customer service representatives, telling residents they had subscribed to certain services and would be charged unless they provided their banking details to cancel.

Hong Kong police said they will continue using Frontier+ for real-time intelligence sharing and cross-border joint operations, and will invite more regions to join the platform to strengthen enforcement.