Fake water leak alert lures Hongkonger, 70, into HK$4 million online love scam
Victim is among nearly 20 people who lost HK$10 million in online romance scams over past two weeks
Nearly 20 Hongkongers have lost HK$10 million (US$1.3 million) to online romance scams over the past two weeks, with 40 per cent of the victims above the age of 60, according to police.
The force said on Wednesday that one of the cases involved a 70-year-old man who was conned out of more than HK$3 million in life savings and was also left with an additional HK$1 million debt.
About two months ago, the man received a WhatsApp message from someone pretending to be his neighbour and complaining that his flat had a water leak.
“The sender later claimed she had messaged the wrong person,” police revealed on their CyberDefender Facebook page.
Despite the mix-up, the two continued chatting on WhatsApp and then developed an online relationship.
The “neighbour” later claimed that she had insider knowledge about cryptocurrency investments while also sharing romantic messages to gain his trust.
Among the romantic messages the fraudster used in this case were “You know very well that I’ve fallen for you” and “You have to treasure me and do what I say”, according to police.