$304,000 lost to credit-for-sex scammers in 2017
At least $304,000 has been lost in credit-for-sex scams in 2017, and at least 53 such cases were reported to the police in the first 16 days of March alone, according to a police statement.
In such scams, culprits befriend male victims through social media platforms such as WeChat, Locanto and OkCupid, establishing rapport through online messaging and phone calls. They then arrange to meet the victims at a certain location, where victims either call the scammers or receive a call from unknown numbers.
The callers claim to be the boss or agent and convince the victims to purchase gift cards or online shopping credits, such as Alipay Purchase Cards or iTunes cards, in exchange for a meet-up, date or the promise of sexual favours.
They usually insist that the victims buy these cards through AXS machines or from convenience stores before asking them to send the credits directly to the scammers’ email accounts. Sometimes, other members of the syndicates will also contact the victims and ask for further purchases of online shopping credits.
In some cases, victims are also threatened if they refuse to make further purchases or payments. While a majority of the scammers adopt largely Chinese-sounding monikers to target Chinese-speaking victims, recent cases have seen scammers using English monikers.
To avoid becoming a victim of this scam, the police advise members of the public to be wary of strangers who befriend you online. Do not provide personal details about when engaging with other internet users. Do not share your payment receipts, emails or purchase cards containing details such as PIN numbers that can be used to redeem online credits with anyone.
