Agoda

27-year-old Hong Kong woman loses HK$2.6 million to Agoda impersonation scam via WhatsApp

A 27-year-old woman in Hong Kong lost HK$2.6 million to an Agoda impersonation scam via WhatsApp. The fraudsters posed as Agoda recruitment staff and promised lucrative commissions for boosting hotel visibility on the platform. Over 14 transactions, the victim sent increasing amounts of money, but the promised payments never materialized. The scam involved fake WhatsApp groups with fabricated payment screenshots and testimonials to create false social proof. Police data showed 675 online job scams in May 2026, with 356 originating from unsolicited WhatsApp messages. Authorities urged the public to verify job offers through official channels and use the "Scameter" tool to check suspicious contacts.