Phone scammers send Hong Kong victims’ cash to Malaysia, Taiwan and Macau as police ask Interpol for help
Investigations into cross-border phone scams indicate some of the HK$126 million cheated from Hongkongers last month had been remitted to Malaysia, Taiwan and Macau, according to police sources.
In a widening investigation that could soon involve Interpol, police have discovered that some of the HK$126 million Hongkongers lost to cross-border phone scammers last month has been remitted to Malaysia, Taiwan and Macau.
Police sources revealed yesterday that the average amount fraudsters managed to squeeze out of a victim between August 1 and 13 was a massive HK$1.45 million. It was HK$400,000 for the whole of last month.
In the first 14 days of this month alone, Hongkongers were duped into handing over a total of HK$56.72 million in 39 successful scams out of 85 attempts reported.
Last month, fraudsters bagged HK$126 million in 308 successful scams out of 838 attempts reported. There were about 200 cases reported in the first six months of this year.
Police also found that contrary to the widely held belief that victims were vulnerable elderly residents, this group accounted for less than 17 per cent of cases, while more than a third of victims were aged below 30.
In a typical scam, Putonghua or Cantonese-speaking fraudsters inform victims over the phone that they have broken mainland laws before directing them to bogus law enforcers or government websites that show forged arrest warrants.
The victims are then told to remit money to bank accounts on the mainland after which the funds are quickly transferred to many different accounts to avoid detection.
"So far, we've identified hundreds of mainland bank accounts linked to the scams," a police source said.
"Initial investigation showed some of the money was transferred to bank accounts in Malaysia, Taiwan and Macau. We believe people from Malaysia, Taiwan and Macau are also involved in the telephone scams."
The source said it was unlikely the lost money would be recovered, but that police would seek help from international police cooperation organisation Interpol to identify the holders of the bank accounts and track down the swindlers.
Yesterday, Superintendent Chau Hin-hung of the Kowloon East regional crime unit, who has been tasked with coordinating investigations into the scams, said it was "inappropriate" to provide an update on the investigations as such information might benefit the swindlers.
He said no money had been recovered and there had been no new arrests since four locals were nabbed for their role in collecting the money.
Chau said only 13 per cent of 417 victims so far were aged 61 or above, while people aged below 30 made up 36 per cent.
Housewives were the most common targets, accounting for 22 per cent of victims. Secondary school pupils and tertiary students made up 17 per cent of victims, with losses ranging from several thousand dollars to HK$20,000.
Fraudsters showed a preference for calling in the morning, with 73 per cent dialling between 7am and noon. Chau said scammers chose mornings as it was likely only elderly people would be at home.
Police earlier secured help from a telecoms company to intercept 50,000 suspected scam calls. Chau said this was within the boundaries of the law and that the force had "exploited no legal loopholes".
