Two Hong Kong victims lose HK$3 million each
HK01 · 2 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago2 MIN
Summary
Hong Kong police said fake courier text-message scams have recently surged, with two residents separately losing more than HK$3 million after following instructions from fraudsters posing as delivery company staff.
In one case earlier this month, a 66-year-old retired woman who was waiting for an online purchase received a message claiming her parcel delivery had failed and was told to call for enquiries.
After she made contact, the scammers claimed the goods were damaged and offered compensation at three times the original price, then used a video call and a forged staff card to build trust.
Police said more than 30 phishing cases were reported in the past week alone, involving total losses of more than HK$12 million.
Key Points
- The scam began with a text message impersonating a courier company, saying parcel delivery had failed and urging the recipient to call back.
- Fraudsters posing as customer service staff said damaged goods qualified for compensation worth three times the original purchase price.
- During a video call, the fake staff showed a forged employee identification card to make the victim believe the claim was genuine.
- The victim was directed to a fake website and told to enter a “verification code”, but the numbers were actually placed in the transfer amount field.
- Claiming verification had failed, the scammers asked her to repeat the process five times, causing losses of more than HK$3 million; another retired woman lost a similar amount in the same way.
Why It Matters
The cases show how ordinary delivery notifications tied to online shopping can be turned into high-loss fraud when victims are rushed into phone calls, video verification and online banking steps.
Police are urging residents to check whether sender names begin with “#”, avoid unknown links, never disclose banking details or one-time codes, and verify any claim through official websites, apps or hotlines.
Police also promoted the Scameter Plus anti-fraud app as an added safeguard against phishing attempts.