Police have urged the public to stay vigilant after receiving reports of 28 WhatsApp hijacking scams that cost Hong Kong residents a total of HK$650,000 over the past week.
In a post on the force’s CyberDefender Facebook page, authorities highlighted three notable cases in which scammers hijacked accounts and impersonated victims’ family members, landlords, or friends.
One victim, a 53-year-old woman, transferred HK$130,000 as an “emergency fund” to a fraudster posing as her husband, only to discover later that his WhatsApp account had been hacked.
In another case, a 30-year-old tenant lost over HK$40,000 after being deceived by a scammer impersonating his landlord, who promised a HK$3,000 rent discount in exchange for a three-month prepayment.
A third case involved a 48-year-old mother who paid more than HK$10,000 in fake tuition fees after a fraudster gained control of her daughter’s account.
Police advised the public to enable two-step verification on messaging apps such as WhatsApp, regularly review connected devices, and log out of any suspicious sessions.
They also urged users to set strong passwords, avoid sharing verification codes or scanning unknown QR codes, and exercise caution when using WhatsApp via web browsers or search engines.
Citizens are encouraged to bookmark official websites and watch for unusual elements in messages or URLs, such as misspelled domain names. Users should also avoid logging into personal accounts on public Wi-Fi or shared computers.
Police reminded the public to verify any money transfer requests by calling the individual directly. Anyone seeking advice can use the police force’s Scameter tool or the Scameter App, or call the anti-scam hotline at 18222 for assistance.
