An 80-year-old Elderly Man in Hong Kong Falls Victim to Fake Cryptocurrency App Scam: Loses Over HK$5 Million in One and a Half Months

BlockBeats News, August 19th. The Hong Kong police recently revealed a cryptocurrency investment scam targeting the elderly. An elderly retiree in his 80s clicked on a false link in an online pop-up ad in June this year, and downloaded a fake app called "Trust Wallet," which pretended to be a cryptocurrency platform.

Subsequently, scammers impersonated platform customer service, using "high returns, earn big money" as bait to induce him to invest. Following instructions, the victim withdrew money from his bank and exchanged cash for cryptocurrency through a cryptocurrency exchange store. Over the next month and a half, he transferred over 5 million Hong Kong dollars' worth of ETH in multiple transactions to the wallet specified by the scammer. It was only when he was unable to withdraw funds from the fake app and lost contact with customer service that he realized he had been scammed.

The Hong Kong police reminded families to pay attention to the online habits and financial situation of the elderly, actively share anti-scam information, and be vigilant against investment fraud perpetrated through fake apps and high-profit promises.