Blog post by Dr Cassandra Cross
In my career so far, I have had some amazing opportunities to travel the globe and talk to people about online fraud. It is something I never tire of, and the ability to make new connections and learn more about this topic is something that always excites me. So when I was awarded an early career travel fellowship by our Vice Chancellor Peter Coaldrake to travel to Hong Kong, I was very excited.
I have done substantial work within Australia and with other countries (such as New Zealand, UK, USA and Canada) but I have never been to Asia. My recent trip to Hong Kong was a welcome opportunity to start a conversation with law enforcement, the banking industry and academics on an Asian perspective of online fraud. I had fruitful discussions with several individuals and I am grateful for their time and the knowledge and experiences they shared with me, as well as both professional and personal insights.
I also had the opportunity to present some of my recent research to staff and students at two universities. I wish to thank Professor Eric Chui and Dr Lennon Chang from City University of Hong Kong and Professor Maggy Lee from University of Hong Kong for their kindness and hospitality during my visit. It was very beneficial to engage with others who are also researching in this field at the City University of Hong Kong, and I thank those who attended my seminar for their comments feedback. I also had the opportunity to present to an undergraduate class at the University of Hong Kong and it was refreshing to engage in such lively discussions with the students. It made both visits very valuable but also very enjoyable.
It is not surprising that online fraud poses similar challenges to police and other agencies in Hong Kong (and Asia more broadly), to what is being experienced here at home and in other Western countries. Online fraud is a global crime problem. However, there are subtle variations and contextual factors which differentiate the experience of online fraud in this country and which are significant in approaches to policing, crime prevention and victim support. This was an important lesson to learn and one which will influence my upcoming work. This trip has allowed me to establish new connections into Asia for future research as well as reinforce the need to build partnerships and collaborations in order to tackle the virtual (therefore global) nature of this crime problem. I would certainly welcome the opportunity to return!
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