Online job scams spike 92pc in Hong Kong, with $6m lost to 'clicking task'

The number of online job scams has surged by 92 percent in the first five months of the year compared to the same period last year, with the most significant case recording a HK$6 million loss.

Police discovered that the scam strategy involves adding residents to group chats on messaging applications and luring members with paid online "tasks."

A 50-year-old woman, referred as Chan, said she was added by a stranger to a WhatsApp chat group that claimed members could receive HK$50 as compensation after searching for products on a website.

It is revealed that scammers set over 30 "tasks" per day, promising earnings of over HK$1,000. However, Chan was warned she had "violated rules" after withdrawing a HK$4,000 reward. 

She was pressured to pay additional fees for "platform maintenance" and extra points for "special tasks," resulting in her losing more than HK$2.6 million within ten days.

Scammers have also been impersonating travel platforms such as Trip.com and Agoda, offering paid tasks such as "clicking like and save buttons," which require no qualifications, police noted. 

A 51-year-old man lost HK$6.2 million to a fraudulent e-commerce platform on Facebook, marking the most considerable recorded loss. A woman in her 20s was also scammed out of over HK$2 million in a single day.

Additionally, police warned that residents who recognize the scam but exit the group after receiving small rewards may be involved in suspected money laundering activities.

They advise job seekers to use trusted employment sites, emphasizing that legitimate employers never request payments, adding that the Scameter+ tool can identify potential scam websites and calls.