New twist to Hong Kong dog meat sales scam as police find buyers of other products cheated, including man duped out for HK$415,000 over HK$25 instant noodles
- Police say scammers deceived customers buying other products by urging them to download Android app for placing orders which allowed them to control users’ phones
- Man responded to instant noodle advert on Facebook and transferred HK$25 through app’s fake banking page, before finding HK$415,000 had been stolen from him
A scam involving the sale of dog meat has taken a new turn after a Hong Kong police probe found that at least nine customers buying other products were duped out of HK$1.36 million through the same app, including a man who lost HK$415,000 after trying to purchase HK$25 instant noodles.
Police revealed their latest findings on Monday after authorities launched an investigation a day earlier into an online trader on Facebook claiming to sell dog meat – illegal in Hong Kong – following a public outcry over the adverts. Officers said there was no evidence to suggest dog meat had been sold or delivered so far.
The force, however, said it had received 11 reports of suspected scam cases involving the use of the app from mid-September to Sunday. Nine victims who tried to buy other products incurred losses ranging from HK$9,000 to HK$415,000, with more than HK$1.36 million taken in total.
Chief Inspector Lau Ngo-chung said the scammers deceived customers by urging them to download an Android app – Trojan horse malware – for placing orders.
