Hong Kong celebrity scam victim Leo Ho breaks silence to warn of dangers – and tells of his humiliation
- Harmonica world champion Leo Ho lost all his savings when purported law enforcement officers in China got him to send them HK$5.9 million
- Being shamed online made him hit rock bottom, and by telling his story he hopes to help others avoid falling into the same trap
Leo Ho Cheuk-yin’s nightmare began in November 2018 when he received a phone call from someone claiming to represent the Hong Kong Immigration Department, telling him that exit restrictions had been placed upon him.
By the time it ended he had been swindled out of nearly HK$6 million (US$765,000) by con men posing as law enforcement officers – another victim of a spate of phone scams in Hong Kong.
The 24-year-old musician, also known as CY Leo, is a harmonica player who has twice been named solo world champion at the World Harmonica Festival, in 2009 and 2013, and receives regular coverage in the Hong Kong media.
He was shocked to learn that exit restrictions had been imposed upon him, as he was booked to perform overseas two weeks later and did not want the concert put in jeopardy.
He followed the callers’ instructions and pressed a number, which transferred him to a man claiming to be an Immigration Department officer. Speaking in Mandarin, as opposed to the local Cantonese dialect, he told Ho that he was under investigation. A bank account he had opened in Shanghai, and a person whom he had helped apply for a travel permit, were suspected of being tied to a money laundering case.