Last Week in Viral News
We take a look back at the local news that spread like wildfire.
Jan 9, Sat: At 6:30am, a group of thieves enters a Tsuen Wan mall and breaks into a luxury handbag store. They smash the glass window with a hammer and grab 40 designer handbags worth more than $2 million. Police say that it is clear that the thieves are professionals: They had timed the theft for when the security guards changed shifts, and the entire burglary took only three minutes.
Jan 10, Sun: A man shares on Facebook a photo of a balding man taking part in a charity run for Diabetes Hongkong. The man is dressed in a backless one-piece women’s swimsuit. Netizens comment that even if he loses, at least he’ll win attention. Another points out that women’s swimwear is more likely to reduce drag and increase the man’s speed.
Jan 11, Mon: A 45-year-old sales manager is convicted of using obscene language in a pleasure ground. The incident occurred last April, when the man lit a cigarette in Kowloon Park. A woman passing by reminded him he could not smoke in a public park but the man swore loudly at the woman, berating her until she called the police. After having his name taken by police, the man returned to the scene to swear at the woman once more. He is fined $900. When leaving the court the man says that he will not smoke in public parks again, and will only swear secretly, “in his heart.”
Jan 12, Tue: At 2am, a passbook update machine at a 24-hour Bank of East Asia branch on Hennessy Road in Wan Chai is found wrecked, with its compartment open and the components scattered onto the ground. Police find an empty beer can outside the branch and say they suspect it had something to do with the case.
Jan 13, Wed: In the early morning a couple is kissing in a park in Wong Tai Sin when they see a man standing nearby, appearing to be using his phone. Suspecting that he is filming them, they question the man. While they are arguing, the couple grabs the man’s phone and also takes the chance to steal his wallet, before fleeing the scene. The victim calls the police from a nearby shop, who find the man’s phone case in some planters nearby. The man is sent to the hospital with minor injuries.
Jan 14, Thu: A netizen posts a photo to Facebook of a fake $1,000 note, which is actually a Zimbabwean note disguised as a Hong Kong currency. The note has “Hong Kong Standard Chartered Bank” and “One Thousand Hong Kong Dollars” stamped in Chinese over the golden note. The poster of the photo explains that his mother works as a cashier at a grocery shop in Sheung Shui and received this note from a mainland customer. She refused the note, but was able to take a photo of it first. ZW$1,000 is worth HK$21.50.
Jan 15, Fri: A 23-year-old man falls victim to a moneylending scam in Macau. Over the Christmas holiday the man, who studies in the UK, went to a casino in Macau with his friend and gambled away $50,000. When leaving, he was persuaded to sign a contract to join a VIP club, which promised him free gambling chips, hotel stays, a private driver and helicopter rides. When arriving in Hong Kong he was threatened by three men who demanded that he pay $1 million for the VIP services. The scammers harassed the student and his family, even throwing red paint on the door of their apartment. The police have arrested three men and are looking for two other accomplices. Looking back, the gambler admits that his actions were not rational.
