Dozens Fall For HK$4mn Scam, Including 11-year-old

The police have arrested 17 people over a social media scam that netted nearly HK$4 million, after dozens of people – including an 11-year-old – were cheated by fake job offers.

Youngest among the 36 victims, the teen was lured into paying HK$120 for a one-off task of helping with a painting.

Another victim was left with a HK$600,000 liability after the fraudsters used the person's identity to take out a loan, police said.

Chief Inspector Chu Ming-lun said the fraudsters targeted those under the age of 40 by saying the jobs promised quick returns, without revealing details about the nature of the work or the background of the companies involved.

The scammers then demanded the victims pay "administrative fees" or pay for products needed for their new jobs. Once the payments were made, the scammers disappeared.

As the summer holidays are just around the corner, Chu urged students to beware of recruitment ads that say no relevant job experience is needed.

“Those victims range from 11 years old to 52. So we can see that some of the victims are really students. Although there is no evidence showing that they are being targeted by the fraudsters, we believe that those students may wish to find a summer job, or some quick way to earn an amount of money. So that’s [why] we advise them to remain cautious about this type of scam”, Chu said.