Travel agency EGL Tours says it has received over 20,000 inquiries after at least 100 fake Facebook fan pages have allegedly scammed Hongkongers using cheap hotel, buffet and plane ticket packages as bait.
EGL Tours said the fake pages, which use its name and logo, offer unreasonably cheap packages, prompting thousands of customers to make inquiries.
The fake pages are almost identical to EGL’s genuine page, except that the agency’s Chinese name is missing.
Scammers would advertise on Facebook, selling Cathay Pacific round-trip business-class flights from Hong Kong for as low as HK$2,990. They also use headlines such as “Incredible prices! Cathay Pacific has a buy one, get one free promotion!” to attract customers.
According to posts on fake pages, Cathay business-class flights from Hong Kong to Tokyo are priced at HK$6,590 for two people. However, on Cathay’s official website, business-class flights from Hong Kong to Tokyo during normal non-peak seasons cost at least HK$18,632 per person.
The fake pages said Cathay business-class seats to Paris, London, Manchester, Vancouver, Melbourne and Los Angeles go for under HK$20,000, which is less than half of a usual Cathay business-class ticket that costs at least HK$55,000.
The Travel Industry Council said EGL Tours is not an exceptional case as other agencies also reported fake pages or websites.
Some customers have also been scammed.
The council said it will arrange meetings with travel agencies and the police to discuss follow-up actions.
EGL said it asked Meta, which owns Facebook, to issue a “verified badge,” known as a “blue tick,” in August, but was rejected until the agency’s lawyer issued a letter.
“We believe we got the blue tick because we suddenly had enough public awareness that the review was approved,” said EGL Tours.
The agency said between July 31 and November 24, it found at least 102 fake Facebook pages impersonating EGL. During this period, over 20,000 customer inquiries were received.
The agency said it would hold a press conference tomorrow to issue updates, including the financial losses incurred by its customers.
It also urged Meta to immediately strengthen its advertising review measures to combat fraudulent activities to prevent further harm.
toby.ng@singtaonewscorp.com
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