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Hong Kong police said they are highly concerned and urged the public to report any suspicious individuals after an exhibitor at the recently concluded In-Home Expo reported a suspected scam involving a fraudulent mainland camera crew posing as China Central Television (CCTV) journalists.
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The police warning was issued after the targeted vendor shared his experience on social media, revealing that a film crew claiming to represent the state-run broadcaster had approached him during the four-day exhibition, which wrapped up on Sunday.
The crew invited him to Futian District in Shenzhen for an exclusive interview, providing an outline that claimed the interview materials would be included in the “China National Brand Revitalization Project Committee” and the “candidate list for the Honest Entrepreneurs Conference.”
Highly suspicious of the unsolicited invitation, the exhibitor publicized the encounter to warn others. The Wan Chai Police District swiftly responded to his social media post, emphasizing that they are paying close attention to the development and urging anyone with relevant information to come forward and contact law enforcement.
Addressing the incident, the event's organizer, Exhibition Group, clarified that it had not issued any official press credentials or filming permits to individuals claiming to represent CCTV or affiliated mainland media organizations.
However, the organizer noted that as the exhibition functions as an open commercial platform, it is common for influencers, independent media and journalists to approach vendors directly, making it operationally difficult to identify and restrict every unsolicited interaction.
The organizer has since issued an advisory to all exhibitors, urging them to verify the identities of anyone requesting interviews and warning them against accepting invitations or signing documents without verification.
It also called on any other vendors experiencing similar encounters to contact them immediately so the matters could be referred to law enforcement if necessary.
