投稿者: たそがれ

A Hong Kong Woman’s Family Stories and the First Hint of Investment

I often heard stories about her family.
Whenever we talked, she would naturally bring up her mother, her relatives, and the life she wished she could live with them. She said she lived in Hong Kong, working long hours, and that her mother was getting older. Her dream, she told me, was to spend more time with her and take better care of her.

Her messages were warm and gentle.
She spoke about her daily routine, her responsibilities, and the pressure she felt at work. But she always returned to the same theme — family. She described her mother as someone she deeply respected, and she often mentioned how grateful she was for the support she received from her relatives.

Among those relatives, one person appeared repeatedly: her uncle.
She said he was knowledgeable about economics and had been successful in investment for many years. According to her, he was the one who guided the family financially and emotionally. She spoke of him with admiration, almost as if he were a mentor.

At the time, I didn’t think much of it.
Her stories felt sincere, and I believed she was simply sharing her life with me. But looking back now, I can see how naturally the conversation was shifting — slowly, gently — toward the topic of investment.

It didn’t feel like a sales pitch.
It felt like someone confiding in me, telling me about the people who shaped her life. And that made it easy to trust her.

I didn’t realize it then, but this was the beginning of the next stage.

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The Subtle Shift Toward Trust

Our conversations continued smoothly on LINE.
Nothing felt forced. Nothing felt suspicious.

She shared more about her daily life, her worries, and her hopes for the future.
I responded naturally, without any sense of danger.

Now, when I reflect on this period, I can clearly see what was happening:

• She increased the frequency of contact
• She shared personal stories to build emotional closeness
• She positioned herself as someone who “needed support”
• She created a gentle, safe atmosphere

All of this was part of a carefully constructed process.

But at that time, I didn’t notice any of it.
There was no reason to suspect anything.
No red flags.
No warning signs.

This was the stage where the foundation of trust was quietly being built—
a foundation that would later be used to guide me toward the investment scam.

Moving the Conversation to LINE

One day, in the middle of our usual Facebook exchanges, she made a simple suggestion:

“Shall we talk on LINE instead?”

It didn’t feel strange at all.
In fact, I thought LINE would be easier since I used it more often.
Without hesitation, I accepted her request.

And just like that, our conversations moved from Facebook to LINE.

Once we switched platforms, our chats increased even more:

• Daily routines
• Work stories
• Meals and small moments
• Casual, harmless conversations

Little by little, the distance between us felt closer.

She also shared more about her personal life:

• Her mother lived alone in Japan and was getting older
• She wanted to return to Japan someday to live with her
• She had an uncle in Beijing who was a well‑known economist
• That uncle supposedly wanted to “help her build a stable life in Japan”

As I listened to these stories, I began to feel a sense of familiarity and closeness.

I didn’t know her exact age—probably late 20s to early 30s.
But I didn’t think much about it at the time.

One day, the topic of age came up.
When I mentioned that I was older, she replied:

“I think of you like an older brother.”

From then on, she spoke to me with that same gentle distance—close, but respectful.

Looking back now, I realize this was already the trust‑building phase of the scam.
But at the time, I had no reason to doubt her.

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The Day She First Talked About Investing

She continued explaining her situation:

“My uncle is teaching me how to invest.”

She said that the method involved using an app called MT5.
At that time, I had never heard of MT5 before.
When I looked it up, I found that it was a legitimate trading platform used worldwide.

I downloaded the app myself.
The app was real.
The interface looked professional, and everything appeared normal.

But the real issue came afterward.

She told me that in order to start trading, I needed to register with a securities company.
The company she introduced was called VelentPartner.

Once I registered, the MT5 screen allowed me to trade gold through that company’s server.

Back then, I thought:

“If I’m using a real trading app, it must be safe.”

I didn’t realize the truth.

Looking back now, I can clearly see the trap:

• MT5 itself is real.
• But the broker you connect to may not be.

Scammers often exploit legitimate tools to make their scheme look authentic.
I didn’t notice this at the time, and I moved on to the next stage—exactly as they intended.

Reflection

This was the turning point.
The moment I connected MT5 to the broker she recommended, the scam had already begun.

They use:

• A real app
• Real charts
• Real-looking trading screens

But behind it is a fake broker, controlling everything.

This experience taught me that:

“A real app does not guarantee a real investment.”

I hope this record helps others avoid the same mistake.

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The Day She First Talked About Investing

Our daily conversations on LINE had become a natural part of my routine.
She told me she lived in Hong Kong, with a Japanese mother and a Chinese father. According to her, she worked in China as a piano teacher.

Sometimes she sent short videos—playing the piano, or clips from her lessons.
She often talked about the challenges of living in China, the long work hours, and the stress of teaching. She also mentioned that her mother lived alone in Japan and worked as a music instructor.

As these exchanges continued, I found myself trusting her more and more.
Nothing felt unusual. Nothing felt dangerous.

Then one day, during a normal conversation, she suddenly said:

“I was studying investment today.”

Until that moment, she had never brought up anything related to investing.
I had done a little stock trading in the past, so I casually asked:

“What kind of investment?”

At the time, it felt like harmless small talk.
But looking back now, that simple question was the beginning of everything.

This was the moment the story truly started.

Reflection

Scammers rarely begin with money.
They start with daily conversations, shared routines, and emotional closeness.
Only after trust is built do they introduce the topic of investment—quietly, naturally, and without pressure.

By recording this experience, I hope others can recognize these early signs before they become something more serious.

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