She answered an advert for a part-time helper. Then she lost HK$2.25 million

Hong Kong woman, 25, describes how her job search led her to sign documents helping ‘lawyer’ for a ‘big shot’ and take out string of loans

A 25-year-old Hong Kong woman was cheated out of more than HK$2.25 million (US$287,190) in one month after falling prey to a job scam, prompting calls for tighter rules requiring online employment platforms to verify employers.

The victim said on Saturday at a press briefing held by the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions that she came across a posting for a “part-time helper” job offering HK$90 an hour in January. She had quit her job as a research assistant at a local university late last year because of poor health.

She passed all the “interviews” and was subsequently hired.

In March, she was asked to sign documents to help a “lawyer” assist a “mainland big shot” with “financing”.

The victim, who declined to be named, said she was taken to three loan companies to borrow money in one day and was also asked to open accounts at virtual banks to transfer the money to designated bank accounts of the scammers.

“They said I had signed contractual documents and if I did not help the mainland boss I could face penalties amounting to millions of yuan for breaching the contract,” she said of her ordeal.

“They also said it was only procedural and the company would pay me back the money to repay the loans.”