A Hong Kong car owner lost HK$500,000 to fraudsters who scammed him through fake prepaid fuel card top-up deals. The victim received deceptive WhatsApp messages claiming to represent a fuel company.

A Hong Kong car owner has lost HK$500,000 (US$63,800) to scammers posing as petrol company staff who exploited surging fuel prices by offering bogus top-up deals for membership cards, police have said. The victim received unsolicited WhatsApp messages from fraudsters claiming to represent a fuel company, according to a post on the force’s CyberDefender Facebook page on Wednesday. The scammers promised discounts through prepaid petrol cards and lured the victim into making immediate...