A physiotherapist lost more than HK$5 million after falling victim to a Facebook investment scam involving a “pretty assistant,” according to a Facebook post by CyberDefender, a fraud prevention platform run by Hong Kong's Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau, on Monday (Jun 29).
According to the post, police received more than 80 reports of cyber investment fraud in the past week, with total losses exceeding HK$86 million.
Among the victims was a local physiotherapist who was lured by an advertisement on Facebook promoting an online investment expert. After clicking the advertisement, he entered a WhatsApp conversation with an assistant whose profile picture showed a good-looking woman dressed professionally.
The “assistant” provided stock market trends and predictions every day, touting that the precise analysis of the “expert mentor” had consistently generated profits for the members. The victim was persuaded to download a fake investment app, “SecuG Pro,” after the assistant claimed he could buy stocks at below-market prices through the platform.
The victim deposited funds into an unknown personal bank account as instructed by customer service. The “assistant” pressed him for additional deposits, saying it would help her reach performance targets. Believing the investment was generating returns, the victim continued to transfer money. He later discovered he had been scammed after being unable to withdraw the funds, losing more than HK$5 million.
Police urged the public to stay alert to such scams and advised them not to trust promises of high returns with little or no risk, click on unknown links, or download unfamiliar apps.
Police added that account balances displayed on fake apps or websites are fabricated by scammers and do not reflect victims' actual deposits or investment gains.
