Police arrest two over five online shopping scams
Crhk · 3 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Hong Kong police said they arrested two local suspects, a 29-year-old man and a 22-year-old woman, on Monday on suspicion of obtaining property by deception in connection with five online shopping fraud cases. Investigators said the pair allegedly used online trading and social media platforms to advertise popular tickets at attractive prices, then took payments before sending invalid or incorrect electronic tickets or cutting off contact. The five detected cases involved five victims and total losses of about HK$16,000, while police said they could not rule out the possibility of additional unreported victims
Key Points
- Police said online shopping fraud has shown an upward trend since March, especially cases involving sales of theme park, concert and football match tickets
- Suspects allegedly lured buyers with below-market prices, limited availability and urgent-sale claims, then moved discussions to instant messaging apps
- Victims were asked to pay through e-wallets, bank transfers to mule accounts, or cash handovers before receiving invalid or mismatched tickets
- In one example, a seller claimed to offer an adult theme park ticket, but the buyer later found it was only a senior ticket
- After investigating a report made on August 8, police arrested the two suspects on August 10 and seized mobile phones and SIM cards
Why It Matters
The case underlines the risks facing Hong Kong consumers who buy high-demand event tickets through unofficial online channels, particularly when sellers insist on advance payment. Police said messages found on seized phones pointed to possible additional victims, suggesting the impact may extend beyond the five cases already detected