Romance scams: police in Nigeria and Hong Kong warn of online fraudsters
Nigeria's police warn of romance scams and blackmail with photos. In Hong Kong, a retiree lost nearly HK$7 million to an online 'relationship' with someone he never met.
Symbolic image · Photo: Ceeseven / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Police in Nigeria have warned the public about online romance fraud and blackmail using intimate photos, Nigeria Info FM reported on 18.10.2026. Akaninyene Ezima, Assistant Inspector-General in charge of the National Cybercrime Centre, spoke on 17 October in Abuja at a cyber security awareness event. "It is more about sensitisation," he said. Police advise people to protect personal information, photos and financial details and to check offers before sending money.
A case from Hong Kong shows how costly such fraud can be: a retired man in his sixties lost nearly HK$7 million in under 300 days, Dimsum Daily reported on 15.10.2026. A scammer with an attractive profile photo posed as a Singaporean businessperson, made contact on WhatsApp claiming to have added his number by mistake, and invented repeated emergencies such as a car crash, a hospital stay and cash-flow problems. The two never met; the man made more than 150 transfers.
Hong Kong police recorded more than 40 romance scam cases with combined losses of over HK$14 million in two weeks. Their advice: verify the identity of strangers who approach you online, stay rational despite flattery and stop immediately if an online partner asks for loans or transfers. Repeated emergencies, police say, are a hallmark of fraud.
This article is for information only and is not legal, tax, financial or medical advice. Figures as of the date stated.