Hongkonger conned out of HK$1 million by ‘lawyers’ who promised to help her recover money lost to her ‘internet lover’
- Woman swindled after seeking sham legal team’s help to retrieve money she lost in romance scam four years ago
- Victim previously lost HK$80,000 in common online employment fraud after a man she met online convinced her to participate in ‘click farming’ tasks in exchange for commission
A Hong Kong woman has been cheated out of more than HK$1 million (US$128,000) after fraudsters posing as lawyers promised to help her recover HK$80,000 she lost to a romance scam a few years ago, according to police.
The force said that when the victim reached out to the bogus legal team, she was told it would be difficult to get her money back and was recommended to take up an “online job”.
The job turned out to be a scam similar to the one she was lured into by her “internet lover” four years ago.
The woman initially lost HK$80,000 in a common online employment fraud, known as click farming or boosting sales, after she met a man through WhatsApp, police said on their CyberDefender Facebook page this week.
“The man showered her with attention and care and the pair quickly developed an online romance relationship,” the force added.
“He then convinced her to register on a bogus website and participate in ‘click farming’ tasks in exchange for commission.”
The woman was then lured into transferring the money into a designated bank account he provided to carry out her tasks. She realised she had been conned when she could not reach her “online lover”.
Victims of this scam were told that their role was to boost sales and popularity of a retail outlet by using their own money to shop online.