Hong Kong continues to mourn the victims of the Wang Fuk apartment fire in Tai Po, which is considered the country’s deadliest fire in decades. Unfortunately, the disaster has also brought upon many terrible individuals looking to take advantage of the situation.
Recently, Hong Kong actress Kaman Kong (江嘉敏) shared an Instagram Story post, calling out scammers who used the recent fire to commit fraud. Shockingly, some of these scammers even use her name and other celebrities to defraud unsuspecting fans into donating money. In her post, the actress wrote, “I solemnly declare that I have never publicly solicited donations through any channels.”
The 31-year-old also confirms that she will never ask for money for psychological treatment fees or phone calls. Kaman also denies having any other social media accounts. In the post, the actress urged the public to be vigilant of such scams and immediately report any fake accounts. She also advised her followers not to disclose their personal information and bank details to anyone to avoid getting scammed.
Kaman is one of the few celebrities who have warned the public of scammers taking advantage of the disaster. Social media personality Kathy Ngai (倪安慈) also recently released a video to warn the public, particularly the elderly, about a scam targeting victims of the fire. Kathy explains that scammers have been posing as volunteers, distributing a victim registration form to those affected by the disaster.
However, these forms are merely a guise to steal personal information to fraudulently obtain donations and claim the HK$10,000 (approximately RM5,300) government aid. Kathy condemns these scams, calling them outrageous. She said, “These scammers not only want to swindle disaster victims out of their aid, but also the elderly’s life savings. If their personal information falls into their hands, these elderly people’s life savings will vanish.”
We hope the public will be vigilant of such scams and double-check any donation drives before sending aid or personal information. Here’s a look at Kathy’s video exposing the scam:
Sources: HK01, Instagram (1)(2)
