THE YOUNG WOMAN seemed pleasant enough as she chatted about the quality of Tai Po wet market pork bones for a hearty soup. Nor did 72-year-old Cheung think it strange when the young woman's conversation switched from cooking to the spiritual. The woman, whom Cheung took for a housewife, asked whether she knew a famous shaman who lived nearby and who she wanted to bless her family.
Cheung (who didn't want to give her full name) was surprised to hear that such a person lived locally. She was even more surprised when another woman, in her 40s, appeared from nowhere to say her husband earned more than $600,000 after being blessed.
Later, the 'shaman' also arrived, and all four had a three-hour talk in the small park near the market. The shaman predicted Cheung's two daughters would experience trouble. She was persuaded to produce as much money as possible for a special blessing to protect them.
'They told me that everything in my family, especially with my daughters, would go well after the blessing,' Cheung says. 'And they said they would wrap my money in newspapers for the blessing.' Cheung was told not to tell any of her family and to only take her money out of the wrapping after the festival.
Luckily for Cheung, it was a Saturday, which meant the banks closed early and she wasn't able to withdraw money for the blessing from her account. So, she went home to look for cash. But soon she started to feel dubious.
When she saw a neighbour heading out of the building for the market, Cheung asked her to accompany her. As they passed the meeting place appointed by the shaman, Cheung saw that it was deserted. Police say the fraudsters were probably scared off when they saw Cheung return with another person.