Mail delivery scam cheat Hongkongers out of HK$330,000

Police have arrested two men who were said to have scammed more than 19 Hongkongers out of HK$330,000 through phishing text messages and emails purporting to be from local couriers.

The duo, aged 34 and 35, were arrested on June 14 and 24 respectively.

The force said many of the fake messages in such scams told victims they had a parcel delivery pending but the recipient address was incomplete or the messages will ask victims to pay for the postal fee of a few dollars.

A police spokesman said the scammers were not after the small amount of money, but instead the credit card details provided by the victims.

“The culprits will then used the stolen data to go shopping, purchasing expensive clothing, electronic appliances or virtual point cards and reload cards. The victims usually realize its a scam when they receive notifications from banks about the transactions,” said the spokesman.

Police had received reports from 183 victims who had lost a total of HK$3.2 million since November.

The spokesman warned people to remain vigilant over scams that asked victims for payment or bank details.

“Members of the public must make sure which courier they have chosen and how the postal fee will be paid when making purchases online. In case of any suspected scam, people should contact the online platforms where they make the purchases for verification,” the spokesman added.