Hong Kong watchdog flags new scam involving complaints from ‘neighbours’

Water leakage and noise complaints from “neighbours” are being used in a new type of scam for acquiring personal information and money, Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog has warned, with residents reporting cases of swindlers reaching out to them via text messages on mobile phones.

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data said on Monday that it had received four inquiries and two complaints since March from different residential estates in Kowloon and the New Territories.

“Fraudsters claiming to be the neighbours of victims would first complain about water leakage or noise problems through text messages, requesting victims to reply for further discussions,” a spokesman for the office said.

“Once the dialogue is initiated, the scammers would then employ different tactics to gain the trust of the victim, including pretending to be romantically interested, to obtain money or personal information, or both.”

According to the spokesman, the scammers would trick victims into clicking and accessing an unknown link, which would lead them to a bogus website that could glean their personal information.

The office said the six cases it received were confirmed to be scams after being investigated by the management of the respective residential estates, as it called on Hongkongers to stay vigilant against this novel type of deception.