Police warn of ‘killing pigs plate’ scam

The police on Monday warned that a hybrid scam involving romance and investment is emerging in Hong Kong, with reported losses last year totalling HK$85 million.

Officers say under the scam, con artists would meet someone online, form a relationship, and then persuade the victim to invest in dubious mobile apps controlled by the syndicates.

The apps can’t be found on official platforms like Google Play and Apple App Store.

The scam is known as “killing pigs plate” among Chinese speakers. That refers to scammers targeting their victims and “slaughtering” them.

Officers said the con artists normally bill themselves as men who are “tall, rich and handsome” on social media, with women accounting for 80 percent of the victims last year.

But among the 181 cases recorded, the victim who reported the biggest losses was a man in his 40s, losing more than HK$13 million.

The piano teacher was said to have fallen prey to a con artist who posed as a wine company boss on a gay dating app.

Within one month, the victim made 16 investments in the dubious apps. And when he wanted to cash out, he was told he couldn’t unless he topped up the account with a further HK$4.6 million, officers said.

Detective chief inspector Alan Chu said: “[The scams] involved the element of investment or gambling. This is also their new [modus operandi] to deceive those victims.

“Some victims would receive some profit after investment. This is how the scammers ask the victims to pay more to invest.

“We are having an increasing trend,” he added.

Senior inspector Cheung Man-hon said losses suffered by these victims were generally higher than those in traditional romance scams.

“The fraudsters not only abused the trust of the victims but also the greed of victims. So it’s always easier to deceive more money from them,” he said.

Police last week arrested 17 people who allegedly belonged to a local syndicate that ran the “killing pigs plate” scam.

Officers say they will step up education and warn people to be careful when making friends online, especially when they are asked to transfer money to others’ personal accounts for investment.