Buyers were handed genuine Pokémon trading cards but allegedly persuaded to pay twice in a repeat-payment scam arranged through Facebook, police said. The second demand came after the first transfer was described as unsuccessful or sent to the wrong account.
Police said the alleged scheme began with advertisements for popular Pokémon collectible cards on Facebook. Once a buyer agreed to purchase, a member known as a “runner” would meet them in person. During the handover, the runner allegedly insisted on payment through FPS, saying this would avoid counterfeit banknotes.
After the buyer transferred the money, the runner allegedly claimed that it had not arrived or had gone to the wrong account, then demanded a second FPS transfer or cash. Police said the recipient of the first payment could promise to return the extra money after checking with the bank, but later disappeared without issuing a refund. The buyers received the cards, but only then realised they had been deceived, police said.
The alleged fraud involved six Pokémon-card transactions across Hong Kong and Kowloon, with losses of about HK$101,000, according to police. The most expensive card mentioned in the cases was worth about HK$30,000.
Police arrested two local men and two local women, aged between 28 and 34, on 14 September on suspicion of obtaining property by deception. Officers searched their homes and seized substantial evidence, including several mobile phones. Police said all four were suspected to have acted as runners, and that one had admitted being recruited online to help with Pokémon-card handovers for HK$3,000.
The investigation was continuing, with further arrests possible. Police advised people buying online or in person to check the recipient’s name and account details carefully before using FPS, and not to make another payment simply because a seller claims the first transfer was missing or misdirected.