Be cautious with online dating! "CyberDefender" shared a case on their Facebook page: a 26-year-old local man met a new friend on Telegram on Dec. 29 last year. The other party claimed they could accompany him for dinner and the countdown to the New Year’s Eve celebrations, arranging to meet in Sham Shui Po. However, they required a "deposit" to be paid in advance.
Subsequently, the man transferred nearly HK$370,000 in 11 payments to six designated bank accounts. In the end, the other party did not show up and disappeared, leaving the man to realize he had been scammed.
Over 40 reports of online dating scams with losses exceeding HK$1.7 million have been sent to the police in the last two weeks. The police caution individuals, particularly singles, to avoid rushing into online dating out of loneliness and falling into such scams, particularly as the Lunar New Year approaches. When dating online, verify the other person's identity and do not transfer money to strangers. If in doubt, you can use the mobile app "Scameter" to assess the risk of fraud.
Related News:
Immigrant voices | HK expat in UK decries poor security, claims Shenzhen safer than London
Ringleader of cross-border gambling, fraud syndicate extradited from Cambodia to China
Comment