HK Disneyland files police report as FB page flooded from netizens involved in possible scam

Hong Kong Disneyland has reported to the police a suspected shopping scam after more than 50 citizens claimed that an alleged employee of the park vanished upon receiving their payments for discounted staycation packages. Over 50 netizens flooded the official Facebook page of Disneyland and said they are now looking for the “staff” of the park who claimed she could help purchase discounted staycation packages, but disappeared after receiving the payment from customers.

Many commented on the page asking if a woman called Carmen Chan is an employee of Disneyland, and claimed that Chan owes them money but could not be reached.

“I have been failing to contact her since 3pm on July 10. I worry about her safety as well since this is a person's life we are talking about. Can you help?” one of the netizens commented on the page. The same comment was posted on the same page for more than 50 times, sparking speculation that Chan helped others to purchase products or tickets from Disneyland but vanished after the payment was completed.

A spokesperson from Hong Kong Disneyland said on 12 July 2022 that the park does not have an employee that goes by the name of Carmen Chan. The park said it has filed a report to the police and they will not tolerate any illegal activities.

The spokesperson added that the company will cooperate with police's investigation and urged citizens who believe they have fallen victim to the scam are urged to contact police as soon as possible. The company also said that the discounted products, including staycation and dining packages, and annual pass tickets found on social media group chats are not authorised or launched officially by Disneyland. The company appealed to citizens to purchase their products directly from Disneyland or through recognised distributors.

Previously in June this year, the Hong Kong Police Force were in the midst of investigating an online advertisement scam regarding Financial Secretary Paul Chan. The police said in its official Facebook account on 26 June 2022, that recently fraudulent advertisements and websites containing the Chan's name and news images were found online, enticing the public to click and directing them to suspicious trading platforms. The Secretary's Office has clarified that the relevant advertisements and statements are completely untrue, and that the police are looking into the incident.

The police added that scammers often use the names of famous individuals to grab consumer attention, and direct them to fake webpages. These scammers utilise celebrity effect to increase their credibility, claiming that investment projects can get huge returns as a solicitation, by advertising "Share the road to wealth". Scammers also set up fake news websites to "report" on investment platforms recommended by well-known people, said by the police. “However, if the public pays a little attention, it should not be difficult to find that some of the content on these fraudulent websites or platforms is not grammatically correct, and there are a large number of invalid links.” they added.

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