Hongkonger duped out of HK$4.8 million by phone scammers posing as mainland Chinese officials, accusing him of endangering national security
- Swindlers impersonating mainland officials accused the victim of breaching national security law by sharing seditious messages on waste water treatment in Japan
- Victims realised it was scam after he found all messages between him and the ‘mainland officials’ had been deleted
A Hong Kong accountant has been conned out of HK$4.8 million (US$613,248) in a phone scam involving swindlers impersonating mainland Chinese officials who accused him of endangering national security by disseminating seditious messages on waste water treatment in Japan, the Post has learned.
A source familiar with the case on Thursday said the victim, 53, received a phone call from a scammer claiming to be a mainland national security officer on November 22.
“The ‘officer’ accused him of distributing provocative messages regarding the treatment of Japanese nuclear waste water, which violated national security,” the insider added.
He also said the call was transferred to another scammer who provided the victim’s personal information in an apparent move to gain his trust.
The call was then passed to a third scammer disguised as an investigator. The latter instructed the victim to buy a new mobile phone and communicate through Telegram messaging service, providing regular updates on his whereabouts.
