The average daily loss of HK$2 million prompted the force to issue a scam alert on Monday, warning both online consumers and people selling products on the internet.
One of the victims was a 26-year-old man who was targeted after he tried to sell a suitcase on the online platform Carousell and left his contact details on the website.
Police said a scammer posing as a buyer sent the victim a bogus Carousell link through WhatsApp. At first, the seller refused to enter his details on the site, which was used for phishing.
“But later, the scammer told him to contact a fake Carousell ‘customer service’ worker, who claimed he needed to pay a deposit before receiving payment for the suitcase,” the force said.
The man followed instructions to transfer HK$210,000 to a bank account in two transactions.