24th October 2025 - (Hong Kong) Members of the public are being urged to exercise extreme caution after a social media post detailing an unexpected high-value bank transfer went viral. The incident, which involves a payment of HK$100,000 received via the Faster Payment System (FPS), has prompted warnings from netizens about a potential sophisticated fraud scheme.

The individual at the centre of the event reported receiving the substantial sum on 22nd October, followed swiftly by messages and a phone call from a person claiming to have made a mistaken transfer. The recipient expressed profound scepticism, noting the improbability of accidentally sending such a large, round figure and stating they were too apprehensive to touch the funds.

Online commentators have widely cautioned that this could be an elaborate loan scam. The suspected method involves a fraudster taking out a loan in the victim's name. Should the victim then return the money directly, the scammer would profit, leaving the victim liable to repay the full loan amount to the financial institution at a later date. This type of deception has been featured in recent local television programmes covering consumer fraud.

The consensus among those commenting was clear: the recipient should under no circumstances arrange a private refund. Instead, they strongly advised the individual to contact their bank immediately and allow the financial institutions to manage the reversal through official channels.

Following this guidance, the recipient confirmed they had instructed the sender to resolve the matter directly with the bank. They reported that the caller, who claimed to have sent the funds erroneously, was polite and had stated they had already notified both the police and their bank. The recipient maintained that they would only proceed based on official bank instructions.