Hong Kong police’s CyberDefender announced that they received more than 40 reports of investment scams over the past week, with losses exceeding HK$36 million.
One woman in her sixties was lured into investing in cryptocurrency. Over six months, she made more than 20 transfers to a fake investment website, amounting to around HK$19 million.
Most ironically, the website account at one point showed a balance of more than HK$42 million.
But that money never belonged to her.
The basic tactic used by fake investment websites is simple: first, they show you profits, then make you believe the balance is real. When you’re ready to withdraw, they demand more money for reasons such as “unlocking” your account or paying “handling fees.”
That’s when the scam enters its second phase.
The victim is no longer simply trying to make money—they’re trying to get back the money they believe they’ve already earned.
The HK$42 million was just a number on a screen. The HK$19 million was real money that was transferred out.
And the detail that this went on for “six months, with more than 20 transfers” is especially concerning.
It shows that the scam didn’t actually rely on some technical loophole, but on trust built over time: someone kept chatting with the victim, someone guided their investments, someone explained market trends, and someone made the profits appear real.
That’s why the most dangerous thing about investment scams isn’t that they make you lose all your money on the first day.
It’s that they first get you to believe a little, then show you a little profit, and finally make you put in more money to get back “your own money.”
Remember this simple rule of thumb:
The balance on the screen may be fake, but the money you transfer out is real.
One woman in her sixties was lured into investing in cryptocurrency. Over six months, she made more than 20 transfers to a fake investment website, amounting to around HK$19 million.
Most ironically, the website account at one point showed a balance of more than HK$42 million.
But that money never belonged to her.
The basic tactic used by fake investment websites is simple: first, they show you profits, then make you believe the balance is real. When you’re ready to withdraw, they demand more money for reasons such as “unlocking” your account or paying “handling fees.”
That’s when the scam enters its second phase.
The victim is no longer simply trying to make money—they’re trying to get back the money they believe they’ve already earned.
The HK$42 million was just a number on a screen. The HK$19 million was real money that was transferred out.
And the detail that this went on for “six months, with more than 20 transfers” is especially concerning.
It shows that the scam didn’t actually rely on some technical loophole, but on trust built over time: someone kept chatting with the victim, someone guided their investments, someone explained market trends, and someone made the profits appear real.
That’s why the most dangerous thing about investment scams isn’t that they make you lose all your money on the first day.
It’s that they first get you to believe a little, then show you a little profit, and finally make you put in more money to get back “your own money.”
Remember this simple rule of thumb:
The balance on the screen may be fake, but the money you transfer out is real.