Nearly 20 Hongkongers have lost HK$10mil (RM5.37mil or US$1.3mil) to online romance scams over the past two weeks, with 40% of the victims above the age of 60, according to police.
The force said on Wednesday that one of the cases involved a 70-year-old man who was conned out of more than HK$3mil (RM1.61mil) in life savings and was also left with an additional HK$1mil (RM537,435) debt.
About two months ago, the man received a WhatsApp message from someone pretending to be his neighbour and complaining that his flat had a water leak.
“The sender later claimed she had messaged the wrong person,” police revealed on their CyberDefender Facebook page.
Despite the mix-up, the two continued chatting on WhatsApp and then developed an online relationship.
The “neighbour” later claimed that she had insider knowledge about cryptocurrency investments while also sharing romantic messages to gain his trust.
Among the romantic messages the fraudster used in this case were “You know very well that I’ve fallen for you” and “You have to treasure me and do what I say”, according to police.
The force said that, in just two months, the victim was following instructions to withdraw cash and deposit it into accounts that the scammer had provided to him.
His case came to light when he attempted to withdraw a large amount from the bank counter, prompting staff to become suspicious and call police.
“The man lost more than HK$3mil and was also left with nearly HK$1mil in debt,” the force said.
Police said officers had received nearly 20 reports of romance-related investment scams over a two-week period.
“Around 40% of victims were aged over 60, and the total losses topped HK$10mil,” the force said.
Police advised the public to be cautious when dealing with strangers online, avoid rushing into emotional or financial commitments, and also verify people’s identities through video calls or by checking their social media profiles.
Last year, officers handled 33,803 tech-related crimes linked to losses totalling HK$5.1bil (RM2.74bil).
In 2023, 34,112 cases were reported, with scammers stealing HK$5.4bil (RM2.90bil).
To help the public stay safe online, police encouraged residents to use the “Scameter” search tool to check suspicious websites, emails, usernames, phone numbers, bank accounts and IP addresses. – South China Morning Post
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