A sophisticated phishing scam exploiting the recent termination of partnership between e-commerce platform Pinduoduo and courier company SF Express in Hong Kong has left one victim HK$1.38 million poorer, police revealed.
The scam, which has already claimed over 65 victims since July with total losses exceeding HK$5 million, capitalizes on the recent delivery confusion to steal sensitive financial information.
The victim, whose ordeal was detailed on the police Facebook page "CyberDefender," first received a text message claiming his package couldn't be delivered due to an unsuccessful delivery.
After calling the provided number, scammers posing as customer service informed him his parcel was damaged and offered a refund. The scheme escalated when a fake bank representative directed him to a counterfeit UnionPay website to input his Alipay details.
When the system allegedly failed to verify his account, the scammers convinced the victim to transfer HK$440,000 across five transactions to "verify" his identity.
Not satisfied, the criminals then took the audacious step of arranging two in-person meetings, where they collected all seven of the victim's credit cards under the guise of further verification.
These cards were subsequently used to make unauthorized purchases totaling HK$940,000 before the scammers disappeared, the post read.
Police warn that over half of the recent phishing cases involve delivery company impersonation, with scammers constantly evolving their tactics.
Common ruses include fake insurance cancellations, refund processing, and increasingly, face-to-face meetings to lower victims' guard.
Authorities urge the public to verify suspicious communications through official channels and to use tools like the "Scameter" on the CyberDefender website (https://CyberDefender.hk) or its mobile app to check dubious links.
(Marco Lam)
