Hong Kong police have recorded more than 40 cases of online romance scams in the past two weeks, including one of a 52-year-old woman who lost over HK$2.6 million (US$334,500) to a swindler posing as a “Singaporean businessman”.

The force on Friday said the cases involved losses totalling over HK$17 million.

It added that more than 40 per cent of the victims were aged over 50.

In a post on its CyberDefender Facebook page, the force said the 52-year-old woman met a man claiming to be a businessman from Singapore on WhatsApp.

After chatting briefly through the app, they developed what the woman believed to be an intimate relationship.

The scammer soon lured her into investing in a purported hotel project, promising high returns.