4th June 2023 – (Hong Kong) A 33-year-old Indian woman reported to the police on June 4 that she had received a text message from someone claiming to be a job recruitment company employee. The message directed her to click on a link to a website where she could earn money by completing online transactions. The victim followed the instructions and transferred about HK$700,000 to a local bank account designated by the scammer during the month of June. However, she was unable to retrieve the funds and suspected that she had been scammed, prompting her to report the incident to the authorities.
The case has been classified as “obtaining property by deception” and assigned to the Western District Investigation Division for further investigation. As of now, no arrests have been made in connection with the scam.
According to the police, the victim received a message from someone purporting to be a recruitment agent for a company that provides online transaction services. The message mentioned that the company was looking for people to help them complete online transactions, and the victim could earn a commission for every transaction that she completed.
The scammer then directed the victim to a website where she was asked to register and provide her personal information, including her name, phone number, and bank account details. After registering, the victim was instructed to complete a certain number of transactions each day and was promised a commission for each successful transaction.
The victim followed the instructions and completed the transactions as instructed, transferring the funds to the designated bank account. However, when she attempted to withdraw her earnings, she found that the account had been closed, and she was unable to retrieve her money.
The police have advised the public to be wary of unsolicited messages or phone calls that offer easy money-making opportunities and to verify the authenticity of any company or organisation before providing any personal information or making any financial transactions. They have also urged the public to report any suspicious activities to the authorities immediately.