Six victims scammed out of HK$680k after downloading malware by clicking travel ads

At least six victims were tricked into downloading malware by clicking on some advertisements promoting discounted travel packages and lost a total of HK$680,000, according to the police.

Officers revealed on Tuesday that the victims were tricked into downloading malicious mobile applications by clicking on links in WhatsApp or advertisements on social media platforms as scammers used travel packages, electronics and fuel discounts to lure victims to provide their info and access their bank accounts. 

Police said they have already received reports of at least six cases since September, involving a total of HK$680,000.

One of the victims, a middle-aged man, saw an advertisement from a tourist agency that promoted travel packages at a slashed price. 

He then communicated with a customer service representative via WhatsApp and was instructed to download their application to register an account for the discount.

However, he fell into their trap as he provided his bank details to the app which contained malware and caused him to lose HK$24,000.

The police spokesman stated that the apps have programming that will allow the perpetrators to take over control of the victim's phone, SMS messages, keyboard input information, etc.

The spokesman urged the public not to download applications from non-official channels and avoid granting unreasonable permission to applications.

Police also reminded the public to factory reset their phones if they suspected they had accidentally installed malware.

Public members were also urged to input the application details into the Scameter search engine on the CyberDefender website or through the official app to determine the risk of the applications.