In a fake South China Morning Post article, Hong Kong singer GEM promotes an online trading app

Another fictional article featuring a news story from the South China Morning Post has been shared on social media for at least the third time this month, aiming to promote an online financial trading tool.

The fake article, hosted on a website not affiliated with the Post, contains excerpts of a fictional interview with Hong Kong singer Gloria Tang Tsz-kei, commonly known as GEM, on a talk show.

The article is almost identical in form and narrative to an earlier scam article exposed by the Post last week, in which well-known Hong Kong filmmaker and actor Stephen Chow Sing-chi promoted the same financial investment app in an interview on state broadcaster CCTV.

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Both fake articles about GEM and Chow use the Post’s logo, design and name of a real business reporter and claim that the stars referenced the online trading app during a live broadcast in which they “accidentally referred to (their) “Secret” to make a fortune.

Another fictional article featuring the emergence of a news story from the South China Morning Post has been shared on social media. Photo: Post Handout alt=Another fictional article featuring the emergence of a news story from the South China Morning Post has been shared on social media. Photo: Post Handout>

The articles also suggested that a Post editor had successfully used the trading platform.

The SCMP has not published any such stories and the reports are categorically false, the post said.

The images embedded in the GEM article are screenshots of a real interview between her and Chinese television talk show host Chen Luyu. The original interview aired in April 2021, in which GEM spoke about her personal experiences and perspectives on music. No financial topics were discussed in the interview.

The fake article claims that the live broadcast was interrupted when “the shocking truth emerged on television” and that the interview was later deleted. However, the Post has confirmed that the real interview video remains available on various platforms including YouTube, streaming platform Mango TV and Chinese video-sharing platform Bilibili.

Users who click on any of the links in the fake article are redirected to a website that asks them to log in to a trading platform. This website also claims that the platform is endorsed by two Hong Kong actors/singers, Louis Koo and Kelly Chen.

The story goes on

Both the GEM and Chow articles claim that the Central Bank of Hong Kong called for the immediate cessation of the live program for fear of losing its customers who could directly benefit from the financial trading tool.

A Hoax Post article claims to reveal Stephen Chow’s secret to making money – the second copycat incident in two weeks. Photo: Post Handout alt=Hoax Post article claims to reveal Stephen Chow’s money secret, second copycat incident in two weeks. Photo: Post Handout>

According to the city’s police, Hong Kong saw a more than 55 percent increase in financial investment scams in the first quarter of the year, resulting in losses of more than HK$900 million (US$115.4 million).

Scammers usually lure their victims by depositing a small amount of money into their accounts to trick them into thinking it is a real win. Police Commissioner Raymond Siu warned residents not to fall for illegal, high-profit, low-risk schemes promoted on social media.

He urged residents to download anti-scam 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 had become the latest target of online scams after fraudsters hacked 27 accounts and defrauded relatives and friends in contact lists out of HK$200,000.

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

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

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