Mainland exchange student in Hong Kong likely lost at least HK$1.2 million in phone scam
Police investigating whether the 18-year-old’s locked bank account is depleted after she shared details with a man claiming to be a law enforcement official
A newly arrived 18-year-old student from the mainland has become Hong Kong’s biggest loser among dozens of students cheated in a spate of phone scams this year, after a bogus mainland official swindled her out of HK$1.2 million.
Nearly a quarter of the 149 victims duped out of HK$110 million by phone scammers in the first eight months of this year were students, including 13 from the mainland. The youngest was a 17-year-old secondary school student.
The Chinese University student, who arrived in the city last month, told police that on Friday she received a call from a man who claimed to be a policeman from Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.
“The man accused the victim of being involved in a deception case and instructed her to hand over the details and password of her mainland bank account, saying it was for investigative purposes,” a police source said.
She realised she had been cheated when she could not access her bank account online because the password had been changed. She called police on Sunday night.
Officers said on Monday evening that the thieves took 1.04 million yuan (HK$1.2 million)from the victim’s mainland bank account.