Victim persuaded to hand over HK$300,000 life savings and more than HK$1.6 million of borrowed funds to scammer, despite friends’ warnings
A 47-year-old woman in Hong Kong lost nearly HK$2 million (US$254,778) in two weeks to an online romance scam, according to police, despite being warned by friends that the man she was chatting with could be a swindler.
Police said on Monday that the woman’s case was one of more than 50 online love scams they had received reports about in the past two weeks, with a total value of more than HK$16 million.
The scam began when the woman received a WhatsApp message from a stranger. The man claimed to be a gold investment professional in the United States, and the two quickly began an online romantic relationship.
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