Taken for a ride: Three Hong Kong university students lose HK$250,000 in telephone scams
Three university students, including two mainlanders, have become the latest victims of cross-border phone scams after they were duped out of HK$250,000.
The 18-year-old Hong Kong girl and two mainlanders – a man, 22, and a woman, 21 – lodged complaints on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to police.
They separately received calls from someone claiming to be an employee of a postal organisation or courier company informing them that parcels they sent were carrying forged documents, police said.
“Scammers then transferred the call to someone who claimed to be a mainland law enforcement agent and accused the victims of involvement in money laundering,” a police spokesman said.
“They were ordered to send money to designated mainland bank accounts to prove their innocence. Following instructions, they transferred the money.”
They realised they had been cheated after discussing the incident with friends or family members. They then called police.
Gangs of phone scammers pretending to be mainland officers cheated 393 people out of HK$237.56 million between July and September.
The biggest loser was veteran Chinese soprano Li Yuanrong, 73, who was duped out of HK$20 million. She called police in July.
The ongoing crime spree sparked a high-level meeting between local and mainland police in August to discuss how to crack down on national and cross-border phone fraud.
In a typical scam, Putonghua or Cantonese-speaking fraudsters tell victims they have broken mainland laws before directing them to bogus law enforcers or fake government websites showing forged arrest warrants. They are then asked to prove their innocence and willingness to cooperate by transferring money to mainland bank accounts.
According to police, phone scammers make different excuses to obtain personal information from their targets. They said potential victims should verify the facts with relevant authorities.
“Do not transfer money to strangers’ bank accounts” and “do not disclose your personal information” are among advice given by police on their website.
