Retired woman loses HK$1.4m in Facebook marketplace scam
A retired woman in her 70s lost about HK$1.4 million in an online scam after trying to sell used goods on Facebook. Police reported over 200 online shopping scams last week with total losses exceeding HK$5.2 million, and warned the public about fraudulent payment verification schemes.
A retired woman in her 70s lost about HK$1.4 million in an online scam after trying to sell HK$8,000 worth of used furniture and musical instruments on Facebook Marketplace, police said.
The case was among more than 200 online shopping scams reported to police last week, involving total losses of more than HK$5.2 million, authorities said.
Police said the woman listed the second-hand items on Facebook and was contacted by a purported buyer soon afterward. The pair then moved their conversation to WhatsApp, where the scammer told her she needed to activate “payment collection” and complete “payment verification” through a second-hand trading platform.
After being told the money would be fully refunded, the woman followed instructions on a fraudulent website and transferred about HK$1.4 million in four transactions. She realised she had been scammed after the purported buyer stopped responding.
Police reminded the public to verify payment procedures through official channels instead of following links sent by buyers or sellers. They also warned online sellers not to transfer money before receiving payment, saying requests for advance payments were a common scam tactic.
The public was advised to use the police’s Scameter tool, available through the CyberDefender website and mobile app, to assess suspicious websites, phone numbers and other information before making transactions.
