Hong Kong police smashed an online love fraud gang, arrested 27 people and seized huge amounts of illegal funds

The Hong Kong police recently successfully smashed a transnational online love fraud gang whose victims were spread across many Asian countries, including Taiwan, Hong Kong, India, Singapore and Malaysia. The criminal organization used modern technology to combine fake love relationships with cryptocurrency investment platforms, making illegal profits of up to HK$360 million.

The Hong Kong police revealed at a press conference on October 15 that the base of this criminal group was located in a building in Hung Hom, Kowloon. After careful investigation, the police successfully raided the den and arrested 27 male suspects, including the 29-year-old main suspect and 6 university graduates. The police seized 41 computers and servers, 137 mobile phones and other devices at the scene, showing the highly organized and technical operations behind the gang.

According to the police investigation, the criminal gang attracted a large number of university graduates majoring in digital media by posting false recruitment advertisements. These young people were encouraged to join the organization and participate in the creation of a fake cryptocurrency investment platform. More worryingly, members of the criminal group used artificial intelligence (AI) and deepfake technology to pretend to be attractive female images on social media and interact with potential victims.

Once trust is established, the criminal gang uses fake romantic relationships to induce victims to invest in their fictitious cryptocurrency platforms, thereby defrauding large sums of money. Victims often realize that they have fallen into a scam when they realize that they cannot recover their investment funds, but it is too late.

The successful cracking of such online fraud cases not only reveals the trend of modern criminal organizations using high-tech means to commit fraud, but also reminds the public again that they must remain highly vigilant when facing investment opportunities or romantic invitations on online social platforms. The police call on citizens, especially young people, to pay attention to protecting their personal privacy and not to trust social interactions or investment advice from unknown sources, so as not to become the target of criminals.