Scam alert: fake South China Morning Post article features Hong Kong singer G.E.M. promoting online trading app

Another fictitious article with the appearance of a South China Morning Post news story has circulated on social media, at least the third time this month, aiming to promote an online financial trading tool.

The fake article, hosted on a website not associated with the Post, features excerpts of a fictitious interview with Hong Kong singer Gloria Tang Tsz-kei, widely known as G.E.M., on a talk show.

The article is almost identical in form and narrative to a previous scam article debunked by the Post last week, where renowned Hong Kong filmmaker and actor Stephen Chow Sing-chi promoted the same financial investment app in an interview by state broadcaster CCTV.

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Using the Post's logo, design and a real business reporter's byline, both fake articles featuring G.E.M. and Chow claim that the stars referred to the online trading app during a live broadcast where they "accidentally revealed [their] secret" to making a fortune.

Another fictitious article with the appearance of a South China Morning Post news story has circulated on social media. Photo: Post Handout alt=Another fictitious article with the appearance of a South China Morning Post news story has circulated on social media. Photo: Post Handout>

The articles also suggested an editor at the Post had successfully used the trading platform.

The SCMP published no such stories, and the reports are categorically fake, the Post said.

The images embedded in the G.E.M. article are screenshots of a real interview between her and Chinese television talk show host Chen Luyu. The original interview was aired on April 2021, where G.E.M. discussed her personal experiences and perspectives on music. The interview did not touch upon any financial topics.

The fake article claims that the live broadcast was interrupted when "the shocking truth was revealed on air", and that the interview was later deleted. However, the Post has confirmed that the real interview video is still available on various platforms, including YouTube, the streaming platform Mango TV, and the Chinese video-sharing platform Bilibili.

Users who click any links on the fake article are directed to a website that asks them to sign up for a trading platform. That site also claims the platform has endorsements from two Hong Kong actors/singers, Louis Koo and Kelly Chen.

Both the G.E.M. and Chow articles claim that the Central Bank of Hong Kong demanded the live programme be halted immediately for fear of losing its customers who could benefit directly from the financial trading tool.

Hoax Post article claims to reveal Stephen Chow's moneymaking secret, in second mimic incident in two weeks. Photo: Post Handout alt=Hoax Post article claims to reveal Stephen Chow's moneymaking secret, in second mimic incident in two weeks. Photo: Post Handout>

Hong Kong saw financial investment scams surge more than 55 per cent in the first quarter of the year, resulting in losses of more than HK$900 million (US$115.4 million), according to the city's police.

Scammers usually lured victims by depositing a small sum of money into their accounts to trick them into thinking it was genuine profit. Commissioner of Police Raymond Siu warned residents against falling for illicit high-return, low-risk schemes promoted on social media.

He urged residents to download the anti-fraud app Scameter, which could help users identify dubious websites and suspicious phone numbers.

Last Monday, the city's police warned on its CyberDefender Facebook page that Instagram users have become the latest target of online scams, after fraudsters hacked 27 accounts and cheated relatives and friends on contact lists out of HK$200,000.

In another incident this year, a major UK-based multinational fell victim to a deepfake scam after an employee in its Hong Kong office transferred HK$200 million, fooled by a digitally recreated version of the firm's chief financial officer.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

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