A local man and a woman have each been defrauded of 600,000 patacas and HK$ 2.7 million in separate virtual currency scams, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Lei Chi Hou said during a regular press conference yesterday.
In the first case, a middle-aged local woman discovered a job advertisement in a Facebook discussion group in late August 2024. She contacted a man via WhatsApp about the job, and their conversation gradually developed into an online romantic relationship. The man enticed her with promises of high returns from investing in virtual currency and encouraged her to download a specific investment application. On September 6, 2024, she made an initial transfer of HK$ 7,900 to an account provided by the platform’s customer service and made additional transfers afterwards. She lost contact with the man after attempting to withdraw her funds three times. In total, she made 14 transfers amounting to HK$2.7 million.
In the second case, a young local man was approached by a user on Instagram who sent him a friends request. The user introduced him to investing in Bitcoin and other virtual currencies, using similar tactics to lure him with the promise of high returns. He was also asked to download a specified investment application. Initially, he deposited approximately 100,000 patacas and later invested a total of 500,000 patacas. He attempted later to withdraw his funds but to no avail. The platform’s purported customer service then requested additional funds for the withdrawal, providing various excuses. Even after paying these extra fees, he was still unable to access his money, and eventually, he lost contact with the platform’s customer service.
Both victims realised they had been scammed when they were unable to withdraw their funds and could no longer reach the suspects. They reported their respective cases separately to the police on Tuesday.
Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Lei Chi Hou looks on during yesterday’s regular press conference. – Photo: Ada Lei
