Hongkonger recounts how he lost HK$1.3 million in scam despite being vigilant
Published: 10:00am, 9 Feb 2025
Hong Kong resident Alan Chew* was aware that scamming had become rampant and believed he had done everything right after coming across an online investment opportunity.
Yet, over four months from last October, he lost HK$1.3 million (US$145,100) of his life savings to scammers who persuaded, cajoled and threatened him over WhatsApp messages into parting with his money.
'I didn't think I'd fall into this kind of situation,' said Chew, 55, a Canadian citizen who has lived in Hong Kong for 30 years. 'I have no money left.'
The design professional asked to use a pseudonym as he had not told his family what happened to him.
Hong Kong residents lost HK$8.52 billion through deception in the first 11 months of 2024, according to the latest official statistics.
Police handled 40,470 cases during that period, up from 39,824 for the whole of 2023 and the 27,923 incidents reported in 2022. In January, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu urged residents to stay alert as scammers using 'insidious and treacherous methods' had become a global problem.
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