The dark side of online shopping in Hong Kong: Dealing with scams and viruses, and fighting addiction
Though online shopping has opened up a world of choices and offers convenience, scams and viruses have made buyers more cautious, while shopping addiction in the city is a cause for worry
Parting with your money and not getting what you want, or anything at all, is a less than desirable outcome. But that is exactly what victims of online shopping fraud have experienced.
One such victim, a woman surnamed Zhao from Wuxi city, found a great deal from a Hong Kong-based online seller for an iPhone 6S in March 2016 reported Chinese news website Huanqiu.com. She was told the phone cost 3,400 yuan (HK$4,000). But she ended up paying a whopping 8,400 yuan.
After paying for the item, she received a message from the seller informing her there was an unexpected problem – the phone had been seized by customs – and that another 5,000 yuan was needed to get it back. The seller promised Zhao would get the money back at a later date.
56 per cent surge in online shopping scams in Hong Kong prompts police crackdown
Zhao said she did not hesitate to transfer the money as she believed the seller to be legitimate.
When the package arrived, Zhao was reduced to tears when she discovered she had been given a “Pear” phone, an imitation of an iPhone.
