Hong Kong Police Arrest Man in Compensated Dating Scam Targeting Teen Girls

Hong Kong police have arrested a 36-year-old unemployed local man on suspicion of having underage sex and conning teen girls out of more than HK$30,000 (US$3,830) in a compensated dating scam.

The force said the man told the girls they could earn between HK$30,000 and HK$100,000, and that he would collect the money from clients and transfer it to them.

However, he allegedly posed as a "customer" and had sex with one 15-year-old victim at a Yuen Long hotel and at Tin Shui Wai hotels three times earlier this month.

When the "middleman" then claimed online he had failed to collect money from the "client", he pressured the girl to transfer HK$13,000 into his account under various excuses.

She later realised she had been deceived and reported the case to police.