A middle-aged local woman has fallen victim to an online investment scam, resulting in a total loss of HK$300,000 (308,600 patacas), Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Cheong Siu Keong said during a regular press conference yesterday.
According to Cheong, the woman came across an investment advertisement on social media in April. After clicking on the advertisement, she was added to a WhatsApp investment group. Shortly thereafter, someone in the group, claiming to be an “investment advisor,” persuaded her to participate in stock investments. The victim then downloaded an app that the “investment advisor” claimed offered AI-driven investment services, and opened an account.
Cheong noted that between June and late July, the victim deposited a total of HK$300,000 into a designated bank account in two instalments for her investments. On Wednesday, when she attempted to withdraw her funds after seeing the purported profits, she discovered that her account was inaccessible and her funds could not be retrieved. Meanwhile, the investment chat group had also been deactivated. Suspecting she had been scammed, the victim reported the total loss of HK$300,000 to the police on Sunday.
Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Cheong Siu Keong looks on during yesterday’s regular press conference. – Photo: Ada Lei
