HK's leader John Lee debunks online ads with fake interviews

Hong Kong’s leader John Lee has clarified that the recent online ads featuring his image and claiming to have his interviews are all fictitious.  The statement comes shortly after the ads went viral. “John Lee has been known for his outspokenness and he does not mind telling you how he earned his money,” the online ad read. The website also claimed to have interviewed Lee of which he praised a cryptocurrency trading system and included a link to the platform.

Lee said on his Facebook post that the so-called interviews as claimed by such advertisements are all fictitious. He also urged the members of the public to report any suspicious websites to police.

The chief executive's office (CEO) has appealed to the public for heightened vigilance against online deceptive advertisements purported to be interviews with the Hong Kong’s leader John Lee.  The CEO strongly clarified that it has never issued or authorised such advertisements, according to a press statement. The chief executive has never conducted the so-called interviews as claimed by such advertisements and the remarks in the advertisements are all fictitious. The CEO has reported the incident to the police for follow-up investigation.
       
The CEO recently noted some deceptive advertisements and webpages, which carry the CE's name and news photos, on online news portals and in social media. Such advertisements lure users to click and take them to suspicious transaction platforms. A spokesman for the CEO urged the public not to visit any suspicious websites via those advertisements or provide personal information to unknown websites. 

Earlier in June this year, the Hong Kong Police Force are 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". 

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