Scammer netted in Hong Kong police ‘guess who I am’ sting operation
- Police arrest woman, 26, in trap after granddaughter of elderly victim contacts authorities
- Phone scammer claimed to be victim’s son who said he had been arrested and needed HK$30,000 for bail
Hong Kong police have arrested a member of a “guess-who-I-am” telephone fraud syndicate after they tried to swindle an elderly woman out of HK$30,000 (US$3,840).
Police said the suspect – a 26-year-old woman – was picked up in a police sting operation on Wednesday after she was sent to collect cash from the victim, who had been defrauded of HK$150,000 by the same gang last month.
Officers also seized 1.5 grams of what was suspected to be ketamine from the arrested woman.
The police operation was mounted after the 67-year-old victim, who lives in Tseung Kwan O, received a call on Tuesday from a man who claimed he was her son and that his mobile phone number had changed.
“He called her the next day and claimed he had been arrested by police and needed HK$30,000 as bail money for his release,” a source familiar with the case on Thursday said.
The source added the victim was told to hand over the money to a woman at Tseung Kwan O Village on Wednesday afternoon. But the victim contacted her granddaughter, who alerted the police. The woman was arrested at about 3pm when she showed up to collect the money.