¡80 casos de estafas en criptomonedas en Hong Kong en una semana! Una mujer fue engañada y perdió millones de dólares creyendo en una promesa de ganancias garantizadas con trading cuantitativo de IA.

Hong Kong experiences a large-scale crypto scam outbreak, with over 80 reports in a single week, and total losses surpassing HKD 80 million. The scammers use AI quantitative trading and love scams to lure victims into multiple transfers of crypto assets.

Over 80 scam cases in one week, with total losses exceeding HKD 80 million

Recently, Hong Kong has seen a massive rise in cryptocurrency scams, drawing significant police attention. According to local law enforcement statistics, more than 80 related scam reports have been recorded in a single week, with cumulative losses exceeding HKD 80 million (about USD 1.02 million).

Police point out that scam methods are continuously evolving, combining crypto assets with popular technological concepts, causing both the number of cases and the scale of losses to rise. Victims span different age groups, many of whom are first-time crypto investors.

This wave of scams mainly spreads through social media platforms and instant messaging tools. The scammers often pose as investment advisors or professional traders, promoting “low risk, high return” tactics to gradually persuade victims to invest funds.

Fake AI quantitative trading tactics, woman loses over USD 1 million after 17 transfers

In an exposed case, a woman believed in an “AI quantitative trading” investment opportunity and ultimately lost about HKD 7.7 million (around USD 1 million).

It is understood that the victim initially received unknown information via the messaging app Telegram. The other party claimed to be an investment expert and stated that they used artificial intelligence algorithms to trade in the crypto market, generating stable high returns.

After multiple communications and persuasion, the victim was guided to a fake investment platform and instructed to transfer funds into a designated wallet address. She made 17 transfers involving $USDT and assets such as Ethereum ($ETH).

When attempting to withdraw funds, the platform delayed for various reasons, revealing the scam. Police pointed out that the so-called “AI quantitative trading” and “guaranteed profits” are common scam tactics with no real investment basis.

Love scam combined with crypto assets, victim loses over USD 250,000

Another case presented a different scam model. A woman over 50 was approached by a stranger on social platform Instagram. The scammer built an emotional connection through long-term interaction, gradually gaining trust, then guided her into fake crypto investments.

The victim paid about HKD 40,000 (around USD 5,000) as an account opening fee, then visited physical exchange stores multiple times to convert cash into cryptocurrencies, transferring them into a designated wallet. The entire process involved 7 transfers, with total losses exceeding HKD 2 million (about USD 250,000).

Police stated that this type of “romance scam” usually lasts several months, using emotional manipulation to lower victims’ defenses. Once the funds are transferred, the scammer cuts off contact and disappears.

Scams combining crypto and AI narratives, increased regulation and anti-scam pressure

Hong Kong police emphasize that, scam groups are heavily using keywords like “AI,” “quantitative trading,” “stable returns,” etc., packaging their schemes by exploiting market misunderstandings of new technologies, making investment opportunities appear professional and trustworthy.

Since crypto assets have irreversible transactions, once funds are transferred out, recovery is extremely difficult, leading to generally higher losses in such cases. Authorities urge the public to avoid trusting unknown investment advice and to remain highly alert to any promises of guaranteed returns.

Globally, crypto scams and cybersecurity incidents continue to rise. Law enforcement is strengthening cross-border cooperation and on-chain tracking capabilities. However, before market education and investor risk awareness mature, such cases may persist, becoming significant concerns in the Web3 development process.

This article is compiled by Crypto Agent from various sources, reviewed and edited by “Crypto City.” It is still in training, and may contain logical biases or inaccuracies. Content is for reference only; do not consider it investment advice.