Case Summary: Police Warn Public About Online Investment Scams
Release Date: 2023-04-21
Incident Overview:
On April 20, Hong Kong Police Force issued a warning to the public to exercise caution regarding impersonators masquerading as authorized financial investment trading platforms, luring individuals into fraudulent stock investments.
On April 19, Hong Kong Police Force received a report from a 41-year-old local man, who identified himself as a senior securities professional. He reported that on February 15, he had received a text message from a fake local licensed financial investment trading platform, encouraging him to invest in stocks on the mainland.
The scammers utilized instant messaging applications to persuade the victim to invest in these stocks and provided a hyperlink to download a counterfeit investment app named ‘A-stock connect.’ The victim was misled into believing that the app was a legitimate investment platform. Following the scammers' guidance, he transferred a total of 2.7 million Hong Kong dollars to ten different local personal bank accounts as part of the investment.
By mid-April, when the victim attempted to withdraw his funds from the platform, he was denied access and subsequently blocked, prompting him to suspect that he had fallen victim to a scam and to seek police help. The Fourth Team of the Kowloon City Criminal Investigation Division is currently investigating the case, but no arrests have been made to date.
The Hong Kong Police Force have received numerous reports indicating that scammers are impersonating brokers from local licensed financial investment trading platforms. These impersonators invite victims to join instant messaging groups, where they claim to possess insider information about mainland stocks and urge potential victims to invest. Once victims agree to the scheme, they are sent hyperlinks to download fraudulent investment applications.
Following the provided instructions, victims open accounts on these platforms and are then directed to transfer funds to the designated local personal bank accounts of the fake investment platform, purportedly to replenish their investment accounts. To build trust in the early stages of account creation, the scammers generate false transaction records and returns, creating the illusion of asset growth in the victims' online investment accounts. In reality, the displayed asset values are fictitious figures. Victims only realize they have been scammed when they are barred from withdrawing their funds. The legitimate financial investment trading platforms have categorically stated that they have been impersonated. The police are actively pursuing and investigating this issue.
According to police data, a total of 499 investment-related scams were reported in January and February 2023, involving approximately 306 million Hong Kong dollars. Furthermore, from the beginning of 2023 until April 19, there have been 65 cases associated with participation in mainland stock trading platforms (such as "A-share Connect," "Northbound Trading," etc.), totaling around 59.46 million Hong Kong dollars.
The Hong Kong Police Force have made the following recommendations:
- If you receive messages purporting to be from an investment firm or bank employee, proactively contact the respective company to verify their legitimacy, and refrain from clicking on links included in advertisements or messages.
- Avoid visiting questionable websites or downloading dubious mobile applications, and refrain from entering banking information, credit card details, or digital wallet keys on suspicious platforms.
- Be vigilant for signs of fraudulent investment websites, which often contain typos, invalid links, or poor grammar.
- If an "investment company" solicits funds through personal bank accounts or electronic wallets, it is likely a scam. Utilize the "Anti-Scam App" or the web-based "Anti-Scam Checker" to assess the risk of suspicious platform account names, collection account numbers, phone numbers, URLs, and more.
- Always remind friends and family to be cautious of scams. If you have any doubts, contact the Anti-Deception Coordination Centre's Anti-Scam Hotline at 18222 for assistance.
On April 20, Hong Kong Police Force issued a warning to the public to exercise caution regarding impersonators masquerading as authorized financial investment trading platforms, luring individuals into fraudulent stock investments.
On April 19, Hong Kong Police Force received a report from a 41-year-old local man, who identified himself as a senior securities professional. He reported that on February 15, he had received a text message from a fake local licensed financial investment trading platform, encouraging him to invest in stocks on the mainland.
The scammers utilized instant messaging applications to persuade the victim to invest in these stocks and provided a hyperlink to download a counterfeit investment app named ‘A-stock connect.’ The victim was misled into believing that the app was a legitimate investment platform. Following the scammers' guidance, he transferred a total of 2.7 million Hong Kong dollars to ten different local personal bank accounts as part of the investment.
By mid-April, when the victim attempted to withdraw his funds from the platform, he was denied access and subsequently blocked, prompting him to suspect that he had fallen victim to a scam and to seek police help. The Fourth Team of the Kowloon City Criminal Investigation Division is currently investigating the case, but no arrests have been made to date.
The Hong Kong Police Force have received numerous reports indicating that scammers are impersonating brokers from local licensed financial investment trading platforms. These impersonators invite victims to join instant messaging groups, where they claim to possess insider information about mainland stocks and urge potential victims to invest. Once victims agree to the scheme, they are sent hyperlinks to download fraudulent investment applications.
Following the provided instructions, victims open accounts on these platforms and are then directed to transfer funds to the designated local personal bank accounts of the fake investment platform, purportedly to replenish their investment accounts. To build trust in the early stages of account creation, the scammers generate false transaction records and returns, creating the illusion of asset growth in the victims' online investment accounts. In reality, the displayed asset values are fictitious figures. Victims only realize they have been scammed when they are barred from withdrawing their funds. The legitimate financial investment trading platforms have categorically stated that they have been impersonated. The police are actively pursuing and investigating this issue.
According to police data, a total of 499 investment-related scams were reported in January and February 2023, involving approximately 306 million Hong Kong dollars. Furthermore, from the beginning of 2023 until April 19, there have been 65 cases associated with participation in mainland stock trading platforms (such as "A-share Connect," "Northbound Trading," etc.), totaling around 59.46 million Hong Kong dollars.
The Hong Kong Police Force have made the following recommendations:
- If you receive messages purporting to be from an investment firm or bank employee, proactively contact the respective company to verify their legitimacy, and refrain from clicking on links included in advertisements or messages.
- Avoid visiting questionable websites or downloading dubious mobile applications, and refrain from entering banking information, credit card details, or digital wallet keys on suspicious platforms.
- Be vigilant for signs of fraudulent investment websites, which often contain typos, invalid links, or poor grammar.
- If an "investment company" solicits funds through personal bank accounts or electronic wallets, it is likely a scam. Utilize the "Anti-Scam App" or the web-based "Anti-Scam Checker" to assess the risk of suspicious platform account names, collection account numbers, phone numbers, URLs, and more.
- Always remind friends and family to be cautious of scams. If you have any doubts, contact the Anti-Deception Coordination Centre's Anti-Scam Hotline at 18222 for assistance.
Latest Major Events & Notices
Hon. Kwok Wai-keung from HKFTU spoke on the 2025 Two Sessions and the MPF offsetting cancellation
2025-05-01
2025年周年會員大會——候選理事名單
2025-04-29