Hong Kong teen loses $230,000 in 'compensated dating' scam

Police are warning the public about a sharp increase in online compensated dating scams after a teenager was cheated out of more than HK$230,000, part of a city-wide surge that saw victims lose over HK$820,000 in the past week alone.

The Hong Kong Police Force revealed today on its "CyberDefender" anti-fraud Facebook page that it had received reports of over 20 online compensated dating scams in the last week, with losses averaging more than HK$30,000 per case.

In one significant case, a teenager fell victim after responding to a post on the social media platform Threads that sought "dates and financial support." The scammer then lured the youth to continue their conversation on WhatsApp, where they claimed a "security deposit" of HK$30,000 was necessary before any meeting could be arranged.

After the victim transferred the initial amount, the fraudster fabricated a series of excuses, such as the chosen person being unavailable or needing to reschedule, to demand more money.

Whenever the teen grew suspicious, the scammer would offer reassurances that all the money would be refunded in a single transaction later, coaxing the victim into making further payments to various accounts.

The teenager only realized it was a scam after discussing the situation with family members, by which point the total losses had exceeded HK$230,000.

Police have issued a reminder that scammers often steal photos of attractive young women from the internet to create fake profiles.

They warned that if anyone met online asks for security deposits or payments in the form of game point cards, gift cards, or cryptocurrency, it is very likely a scam. The public is advised to download the "Scameter" app to help assess fraud risks.

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