A local woman was scammed out of HK$1.97 million after trusting an online stranger and invested in cryptocurrencies on his advice, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Chong Kam Leong said at a press conference yesterday.
Chong said the victim was in her fifties and works in the gaming industry.
According to Chong, the victim met the male stranger online last month, who would later identify himself as a “developer” of a cryptocurrency investment app. Chong said the scammer then told the victim that he could “teach” her how to make a profit through the app.
Trusting the scammer, the victim then deposited 10,000 yuan (12,100 patacas) and HK$1.1 million into the app, Chong said, adding that the victim told the police that the app showed a profit, but 25 per cent of it had to be paid as tax. According to Chong, the victim paid an additional HK$400,000 to the app, but after that her account was frozen and the app showed that she would require another US$60,000 (485,000 patacas) to unfreeze it.
Chong said the victim paid that sum as well, but afterwards the app required the victim to pay even more using various excuses. The victim finally began to realise that she had been defrauded and reported the case to the police on Saturday. Chong said the victim lost a total of HK$1.97 million.
The case was still under investigation at the time of yesterday afternoon’s press conference.
Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Chong Kam Leong looks on during yesterday’s press conference. Photo: William Chan
