Two Arrested in Fake Official Scam Probe
Bastillepost · 4 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Hong Kong police said they have broken up two “fake official” scam cases and arrested two local men aged 16 and 21 on suspicion of obtaining property by deception and attempted obtaining property by deception. One 34-year-old mainland Chinese woman was allegedly cheated out of HK$500,000, and officers said they also stopped a second victim from suffering any financial loss during an arrest operation on September 1.
Key Points
- Tseung Kwan O district officers received a report last week from a 34-year-old mainland Chinese woman who said a caller posing as an Immigration Department officer claimed her phone number was tied to a mainland money-laundering case.
- The call was then transferred to fraudsters posing as mainland public security officers, who told her to keep the case secret, report her location regularly, and follow instructions to prove her innocence.
- She transferred HK$300,000 in two payments to two designated bank accounts as a so-called guarantee, then later handed HK$200,000 in cash to another supposed investigator in Tseung Kwan O after receiving a fake asset-freezing order.
- Police said the syndicate recruited the two suspects as stand-ins to deliver forged documents and collect cash, typically dressing in suits and carrying folders and stamp pads to mimic law-enforcement officers in public meetings.
- During the September 1 operation, officers arrested one suspect in Aberdeen while he was allegedly handing a forged mainland public security confidentiality agreement to a second victim, and arrested the other suspect the same day in Shau Kei Wan.
Why It Matters
The case shows that fake official scams are still using face-to-face document handovers and cash collection in Hong Kong, not just phone calls and bank transfers. Police also warned that young people can be drawn into these operations as “mules” or even as secondary victims, but may still face serious criminal liability if they help a fraud syndicate.