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18-year-old girl loses HK$110,000 in online dating scam

Jun 17, 2016

An 18-year-old girl from Yau Tong has reported that she was conned out of HK$110,000 (US$14,175) by a person who established contact with her through a dating app.

The girl, who bears the surname So, informed the police that she had been in touch online with a person who claimed to be a male professional.

After getting connected through a dating app called iAround, the man said he was interested in a serious relationship with her.   

He then asked So to transfer him some money and join in some investments. 

The girl, who works as a waitress, dipped into her resources and transferred HK$110,000 to her online “friend”, according to Metro Daily.

The money was transferred even though So hadn’t met the other person.

It was only later, when the man didn’t show up for a date, that the young woman realized that she had been taken for a ride by the online partner.

She reported the matter to the police, worried that she has become another victim of internet scammers.

The police urged single women to be careful online, warning that scammers may pretend to be foreigners or high-level professionals to lure their prey.

According to police data, there were 28 internet scams targeting single women in the first three months of this year, compared to 9 cases in the same period in 2015.

The money involved in the cases in the first quarter totaled HK$19.23 million.

Source:  http://www.ejinsight.com/20160617-18-year-old-girl-loses-hkd110k-in-online-dating-scam/