Job hopefuls conned out of mobile phones

Mobile phone thieves have been posing as employers or potential insurance buyers to steal handsets, police warned yesterday.

The crime is feeding a booming second-hand mobile telephone market in Hong Kong and on the mainland.

At least two job-seekers fell into the trap when they responded to advertisements and attended interviews in public places such as restaurants, a police source said.

During the interview, the fake employer would borrow the job-hunter's phone and then disappear.

At least eight insurance salesmen in Shamshuipo have lost phones in the past two months in similar circumstances.

Thieves posing as potential buyers rang the agents and arranged to meet them in restaurants or fast-food shops.