Hong Kong Police Arrests Eight in Dating Scam

Hong Kong police arrested eight people last week over an alleged compensated-dating scam syndicate that they said cheated 80 victims out of HK$6.2 million between February and July 2026.

The four men and four women, aged 23 to 57, were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud, money laundering and possession of dangerous drugs, according to the force’s cybersecurity and technology crime bureau, the South China Morning Post reported. Police said the largest individual loss was HK$480,000.

Chief Inspector Chan Lai-yu of the technology crime division said scammers advertised compensated-dating arrangements on social media and offered HK$50,000 to HK$70,000 a month to people willing to become “sugar babies”. “They required them to sign non-disclosure agreements and added them to a chat group with scammers posing as lawyers and wealthy clients, displaying forged name cards to gain their trust,” Chan said.

Chan said the scammers asked victims to transfer purported legal fees, High Court fees and termination fees to different accounts, claiming the money would be refunded when the contract ended. Police said one chat-group exchange showed a supposed client proposing terms including confidentiality, use of protection, no photos or videos during meetings and HK$50,000 monthly payment, before a fake lawyer sought HK$15,500 in “legal fees”.

Police said the syndicate targeted some victims again after they realised the dating scheme was fraudulent and could no longer contact the scammers. “They claimed to be able to retrieve their lost funds and tricked them into paying a handling fee,” Chan said.

Women made up 65 per cent of the victims, who were aged 19 to 41, police said. Police clinical psychologist Fung Ho-kin warned residents not to underestimate fraudsters’ manipulation skills and said: “If you suspect that you have been scammed, find the police at once. Do not trust anyone who claims to be able to help you.”