Con artist swindles Hong Kong man out of HK$115,000, whisky bottle worth HK$75,000 in cheque fraud case
- Clerical worker, 41, was targeted after he tried to sell bottle of Karuizawa 1983 whisky via Carousell, according to police
- Swindler posing as buyer reached deal with victim to purchase Japanese whisky on online messaging app WhatsApp
A con artist has swindled a man out of HK$115,000 (US$14,675) and a bottle of Japanese whisky worth HK$75,000 by using cheques that bounced, Hong Kong police have said.
The ruse came to light shortly before 12.30am on Tuesday when the 41-year-old man, living in Tin Hau, made a report of deception to police.
The clerical worker was targeted after he tried to sell the bottle of Karuizawa 1983 whisky via Carousell, an internet shopping platform.
A swindler, posing as a buyer, communicated with him through online messaging service WhatsApp and they reached a deal to buy the whisky at HK$75,000. He was told a cheque deposit of HK$75,000 was made to his bank account.
A transaction was then arranged at Admiralty MTR station on Monday, where the victim handed over the bottle of whisky to the “buyer”, according to a source.
“The scammer behind the con later contacted the victim who was told a cheque deposit of HK$115,000 was made into his account by mistake and asked to transfer the money to a specific bank account,” he said.
