New scams alert: Fraudulent YouTube Premium subscription messages to hit play on victims wallets

Amid evolving scam tactics, citizens have recently been alerted to fraudulent SMS messages regarding YouTube Premium subscriptions, which coerce recipients into calling to avoid unexpected fees.

An investigation by Sing Tao Daily, a sister publication of The Standard, has uncovered the manipulative tactics employed by the “customer service” representatives to pressure victims into initiating financial transfers.

"You have renewed your YouTube Premium subscription today, and a fee of HK$1793.00 will be automatically deducted. If you wish to cancel your subscription, please call: 2733-0256”-- a message that was sent to a reporter who had never subscribed to the service.

Upon calling the hotline, the reporter was directed by a customer service representative to access YouTube to cancel the purported "subscription."

However, the reporter could not locate the cancellation option, and the representative insisted that the subscription was already active, warning that charges would incur if not canceled immediately.

To investigate the scammer's tactics, the reporter followed the scammer's instructions to cancel the subscription via WhatsApp messages. 

Shortly after, a call came from another “customer service staff” claiming to be from the "China UnionPay Cancellation Center,”  who offered assistance in canceling the subscription but warned against using YouTube in the future.

“You might have clicked on an advertisement for a one-month free subscription trial, which will begin charging afterward,” the assistant noted. 

Guided over the phone, the reporter was instructed to open a browser to a designated fake China UnionPay webpage and provide personal information such as name, age, and phone number to proceed with the cancellation.

The reporter then received a “YouTube Membership Automatic Deduction Service Order,” which stated that monthly fees would be deducted from their WeChat, Alipay, or UnionPay accounts, accompanied by a stamp from the Hong Kong Monetary Authority.

The scammer insisted that securing the reporter’s WeChat, Alipay, and bank accounts was necessary to complete the cancellation. 

Following the scammers’ instructions, the reporter received a message from WeChat confirming his account had been frozen along with a verification code, revealing the scammer’s intent to freeze access and steal funds through the fake website. 

A "cancellation specialist" named Lu was then assigned to assist, who instructed the reporter to provide the bank name and account balance to ensure the funds were protected, repeatedly warning against errors in reporting the balance.

The specialist claimed that multiple UnionPay accounts had been detected and required the reporter to declare all accounts to finalize the cancellation process.

After over an hour on the call, the scammer attempted to have the reporter share their screen and open online banking through a video call on WhatsApp, likely to view the account balance and steal sensitive information.

Recognizing these tactics, the reporter promptly ended the call.

According to police, multiple reports of the scam involving YouTube Premium subscriptions have been received, including a recent case where a student transferred HK$400,000 over eight transactions.

 Last year, authorities recorded 5,575 cases of impersonation scams, resulting in losses of HK$1.04 billion.

 Notably, from January to July this year, 1,889 cases were reported, with losses amounting to HK$296 million—a 50 percent decrease compared to the same period last year.

Authorities urge the public to verify the identity of callers claiming to represent any organization and to refrain from sharing bank details or verification codes. 

Citizens are also encouraged to utilize the “Scameter” fraud detection tool and to call the "Anti-Scam Helpline 18222" for assistance.