Hong Kong police urge caution after love scammers trick 20 victims out of HK$12 million
Twenty reports of online romance scams made over past week, police say
Twenty Hongkongers have lost more than HK$12 million (US$1.5 million) to love scammers in a single week, prompting police to renew warnings for residents to be cautious when making friends online.
According to police, 20 reports of online romance scams were made over the past week involving financial losses exceeding HK$12 million.
“Some of the victims felt embarrassed and chose not to report the fraud,” the force said.
Although woman still form the majority of those who fall for love scams, recent data from the cybersecurity and technology crime bureau showed that men accounted for 35 per cent of victims of such ruses in August.
On September 16, officers arrested 11 people in a crackdown on a fraud syndicate that swindled 99 men out of more than HK$20 million in online romance scams in the past nine months. The victims included well-educated professionals such as a doctor, an engineer and a teacher.