Scammers steal HK$584.8 million from Hongkongers by posing as WeChat, Taobao staff
- Police say 102 people arrested between January and June in connection with customer service scams
Thousands of Hongkongers have lost money to fraudsters posing as customer service staff from mainland Chinese app WeChat and e-commerce platform Taobao, with losses reaching HK$584.8 million (US$75 million) in the first seven months of 2024.
Police said they had arrested 102 people between January and June in connection with the scams, noting one victim reported losing HK$4.5 million.
Among the 2,716 cases of customer service fraud reported to police, more than half involved scammers pretending to work for WeChat.
According to police, the scams typically involve fraudsters posing as staff and claiming the victims had signed up for an insurance policy or other services through the relevant platform.
“If residents wish to cancel the order, the scammer will ask the person to hand over their bank details for verification, as well as paying a sum of ‘earnest money’ to cancel [the order],” said Theodora Lee Wai-see, a superintendent with the force’s Anti-Deception Coordination Centre.
Police data showed most of the WeChat-related customer service scams took place between June and July, with losses during the two months totalling HK$238 million.