Hong Kong police have arrested a man on suspicion of having sex with four underage girls and conning them out of more than HK$30,000 (US$3,830) in a compensated dating scam.

The force said on Monday the 36-year-old unemployed local man told the girls they could earn between HK$30,000 and HK$100,000.

He told them he would collect the money from clients and transfer it to the girls, according to police.

But he instead posed as a “customer” and had sex with one victim at a Yuen Long hotel earlier this month, according to the force.

Police said that over five days, the girl was instructed to meet him at hotels in Yuen Long and Tin Shui Wai, where they had intercourse three times.

When the “middleman” then claimed online he had failed to collect money from the “client”, he pressured the girl to transfer HK$13,000 into his account under various excuses, the force said.