Hong Kong police arrest man over scams involving impersonation of mainland officers
20-year-old suspect allegedly targeted victims in at least eight telephone scams last month, swindling them out of HK$1.36 million
Hong Kong police have arrested a 20-year-old man suspected to be linked to at least eight telephone scams in which he allegedly swindled victims out of HK$1.36 million (US$175,300) by impersonating mainland Chinese law enforcement officers.
Police revealed on Thursday that they had arrested the local man, surnamed Pang, in Tsuen Wan two days earlier, after their investigation linked him to a series of scams that occurred between April 4 and April 29.
Police said during their investigation, they discovered that Pang had allegedly posed as a mainland law enforcement officer and told victims to rent hotel rooms alone for the purpose of conducting “secret investigations”.
The fraudster then arranged for “spies” to deliver so-called confidential agreements to the victims, which prevented them from seeking help.
The victims were then pressured to hand over the savings in their bank accounts and any cash they had stored in their homes, including foreign currencies and commemorative coins, police said.
The victims were aged 18 to 66, with losses totalling about HK$1.36 million.