Hong Kong police have warned buyers during the hairy-crab season about fake social-media shops offering crabs at discounted or low prices. Police said the sellers ask interested buyers to transfer money to a receiving account, often one under a personal name, then stop responding after payment.
Police said they received more than 500 online-shopping scam reports in the first half of October, including cases involving hairy crabs. The figure covers online-shopping scams overall; police did not state how many reports concerned crabs. They said losses in the crab-related cases were about several hundred Hong Kong dollars each, totalling about HK$10,000.
Police advise buyers to check a shop page’s creation date and follower numbers, and compare its contact details with information on official websites or apps. They also recommend using reliable, reputable merchants or buying in person. Before transferring money, buyers should verify the seller and avoid rushing into a payment, particularly to a suspicious personal account.
Buyers can also use Scameter+ to assess a website, seller name, receiving account number or phone number for scam risk, police said.