A man was scammed out of 32,350 yuan (39,300 patacas) when using a dating app, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokeswoman Lei Hon Nei said at a regular press conference on Monday.
Lei said the victim is a non-resident worker (NRW) from the mainland in his twenties.
According to Lei, the victim received an SMS with a link to a dating app. After the victim downloaded and opened the app, the purported “customer service staff” of the app claimed that in order for him to meet females he needed to activate an account.
Lei said the victim believed the “customer service” and transferred 27,350 yuan to the account, where he was then instructed to a mysterious action involving repeatedly clicking on “spring, summer, autumn and winter” on the screen, with each click deducting the money from his account, eventually spending it all.
Lei said when the victim asked about meeting up with females after he had spent all his money, the “customer service” told him he did not have “enough clicks”. The victim then transferred another 5,000 yuan to the account, Lei said, adding that he tied his bank card to the app at the request of the “customer service”. According to Lei, the “customer service” vanished afterwards and finally realising that he had been scammed, he called the police for assistance on Saturday. The case was still under investigation at the time of Monday’s press conference.
Judiciary Police (PJ) spokeswoman Lei Hon Lei looks on during Monday’s regular press conference at the PJ headquarters. Photo: William Chan
