Hong Kong police warn WhatsApp scams on the rise after 130 people duped in 1 week
Victims usually realised it was a con when they spoke to the real account users after sending over the money, the force said.
According to police, swindlers typically sent phishing text messages with links to fake websites and employed different excuses to trick WhatsApp users into revealing their account verification codes.
Scammers then access the accounts and pose as the users to dupe those on the latter’s contact list.
Swindlers could also gain access to a user’s account if the victim scanned a QR code on the page, which would connect it with the swindler’s device and allow them to scam their contacts, the force said.
“If you receive a text message asking for money or a bank transfer request from friends or relatives, please remember to call and confirm first,” police said.
Last year, fraudsters created scam websites disguised as login pages for the WhatsApp message platform.
Police figures show a significant rise in the theft of online accounts, with 3,434 reports last year compared to 168 cases logged in 2022. Most of the cases involved WhatsApp accounts.
Financial losses involved increased to HK$87.6 million in 2023 from HK$73.8 million the year before.
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WhatsApp scams first came to the attention of police in November 2017 when fewer than 10 cases were reported in the city.
A surge in cases later prompted police to warn the public the year after, advising WhatsApp users to set up a two-step verification process on their accounts.
The force told the public on Tuesday to “avoid disclosing passwords and verification codes casually or scanning QR codes without verifying”.
Police also urged people to use the force’s “Scameter” search engine, accessible through the CyberDefender website, to check for suspicious or fraudulent activity.
The search engine can help identify suspicious web addresses, emails, platform usernames, bank accounts, mobile phone numbers and IP addresses.
The city recorded a 42.6 per cent increase in all types of deception to 39,824 cases last year from 27,923 reports logged in 2022. The amount lost rose by 89 per cent to HK$9.1 billion in 2023 from HK$4.8 billion the year before.