Hong Kong professor conned out of nearly HK$4 million in phone scam
- Victim receives call from someone claiming he was involved in money laundering in mainland China
- He is approached again through WhatsApp and instructed to hand over details of Bank of China account to prove his innocence
A university professor in Hong Kong has been conned out of nearly HK$4 million (US$509,550) after he fell victim to a phone scam, the Post has learned.
The 62-year-old academic received a phone call on July 5 from someone who claimed to work for the Department of Health. The caller told the professor he had violated Covid-19 quarantine rules overseen by the Guangzhou Public Security Bureau and to be prepared for a follow-up inquiry, a police source on Tuesday said.
The professor received a call from a second individual the same day, accusing him of being involved in a money-laundering case in mainland China and asking him to submit personal particulars, which he did.
About two weeks later, he was approached again through the WhatsApp messaging app and was instructed to hand over details of his Bank of China account to prove his innocence, the source said.
In late July, the victim realised about HK$1.84 million had been transferred to two other city banks.