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Clifford Lo

A Hong Kong architect has become the latest victim of a cryptocurrency investment scam after being duped out of more than HK$24 million (US$3.1 million), sources have revealed.
The deception case came to light when the 44-year-old woman, who lives in Tai Po, made a report to police on Tuesday.
She fell victim to the investment fraud in June last year when a swindler impersonating a male architect in Taiwan befriended her through WhatsApp. Police said the scammer also claimed he was an investment expert.
Italian finance worker in Hong Kong loses HK$14 million in love scam
A source familiar with the case on Wednesday said the victim was lured into setting up an account on a bogus trading website to invest in the digital coin Tether.
Between last June and January this year, she was coaxed into transferring HK$24.5 million into designated bank accounts in 65 transactions, he said.
The Post learned that her investment account showed positive returns and the balance once reached nearly double what she had invested.
According to the force, the woman later tried to withdraw the profits, but was asked to pay an administration fee. She did not pay the fee and later discovered the website was not in operation.
She realised she had been conned when she lost contact with the “expert”. She sought help from police on Tuesday.
‘Online lover’ scams Hong Kong investment manager out of HK$12 million inheritance
Another source said the information such as rising cryptocurrency prices and profits presented in such fraudulent investment websites was fake and controlled by scammers.
He added that positive returns in such accounts were usually designed to coax victims into investing more money.
The police website states: “Initially victims can make small profits, but after putting in more money they end up suffering huge losses. The fraud is also known as the ‘pig-butchering scam’.”
The second source said he believed the bank accounts used to collect the scammed money had been emptied, adding that police were trying to track down the account holders involved.
Hong Kong victims lose HK$2.6 billion in bogus investments, fake jobs, love scams
The case was the latest in a string of cryptocurrency-related frauds in recent months, each totalling more than HK$10 million.
An Italian financial consultant was duped out of more than HK$14 million after being tricked by his bogus online lover into investing in cryptocurrency last month.
In February, a 63-year-old investment manager called police after he lost HK$12.8 million in an internet love scam. The money was inherited from his late father.
In that case, the swindler, claiming to be a female cryptocurrency investment expert, also lured the victim into setting up an account on a bogus trading website to invest in virtual coins.
According to police, 2,336 cryptocurrency-related scams were reported in Hong Kong last year – a 67 per cent rise from 1,397 cases logged in 2021. The cases involved about HK$1.7 billion in funds, a 106 per cent increase from the year before.


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Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong architect cheated out of HK$24.5 million in cryptocurrency investment scam

The victim had been persuaded to invest in a digital currency. Photo: Shutterstock


Italian financial consultant in Hong Kong duped out of HK$14 million in bogus cryptocurrency investment as part of love scam

A 55-year-old Italian lost HK$14 million (US$1.8 million) after being tricked into investing in cryptocurrency by his bogus online lover. Photo: Shutterstock

Hongkongers lost HK$697 million in 1,533 online romance scams last year. Photo: Shutterstock

Hong Kong fraud victims lose HK$2.6 billion as scammers peddle bogus cryptocurrency investments, fake jobs, romance

Latest crime figures for January to August show that the number of online scam cases rose to 14,160 from 10,185 over the same period last year. Photo: Shutterstock

The increase in cryptocurrency-related scams is believed to be one of the main factors behind the sharp rise in investment ruses. Photo: AFP

Those who receive suspicious calls, or come across online sellers, friend requests, job advertisements and investment websites can go to police’s ‘Scameter’ search engine to ascertain risks. Photo: Shutterstock

Women made up most of the victims of romance scams. Photo: Shutterstock

‘Online lover’ swindles Hong Kong investment manager out of HK$12.8 million inheritance in 1 month through bogus cryptocurrency trading

The victim had been lured into investing in cryptocurrencies on a fake website. Photo: EPA-EFE

Swindlers are constantly changing their tactics, police warn. Photo: Shutterstock

News

Hong Kong

Law and Crime

Woman, 44, fell victim to fraud when swindler impersonating a male architect in Taiwan befriended her through WhatsApp
Between last June and January this year, she transferred HK$24.5 million into designated bank accounts in 65 transactions, source says


Between last June and January this year, she transferred the money into designated bank accounts in 65 transactions, a source says.


Scams and swindles

Hong Kong society

Crime

Hong Kong police

Hong Kong architect cheated out of HK$24.5 million in cryptocurrency investment scam

Woman, 44, fell victim to fraud when swindler impersonating a male architect in Taiwan befriended her through WhatsApp Between last June and January this year, she transferred HK$24.5 million into designated bank accounts in 65 transactions, source says

Woman, 44, fell victim to fraud when swindler impersonating a male architect in Taiwan befriended her through WhatsApp

Between last June and January this year, she transferred HK$24.5 million into designated bank accounts in 65 transactions, source says