Cantonese opera family narrowly avoids seven-figure scam
SingTao · 1 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago5 MIN
Summary
Johnson Yuen Tak-keung (阮德鏘), son of Cantonese opera veteran Yuen Siu-fai (阮兆輝), said he and his mother Wan Fei-yin (尹飛燕) were caught in an online scam linked to discounted Macau “House of Dancing Water” show-and-hotel packages on August 31. He said he rushed to transfer money after his eight-year-old daughter and mother wanted to see the show, only to be told the offer was full and to use a highly realistic refund website. After entering his bank account details and making a further payment of more than HK$1,000 for supposed account proof, he was asked to transfer a seven-figure sum for final verification and then realized the demand was absurd. He said he immediately moved his money out, went to a police station to file a report, and ended up losing only several thousand dollars
Key Points
- Yuen said the incident began on August 31 after Wan Fei-yin found an attractive limited-time “House of Dancing Water” package online, bundled with hotel accommodation in Macau
- He said pressure from his mother and eight-year-old daughter, while he was busy working, made him act hastily and transfer money without thinking through the risks
- After the first transfer, the scammers allegedly claimed the promotion was already full, offered a refund, and sent a fake website link that closely resembled a genuine platform
- Yuen said he entered his bank account information, then received contact from a supposed Faster Payment System specialist who claimed funds went into the wrong account and were frozen
- He said he paid another sum of more than HK$1,000 and sent an account screenshot, before the fraudsters demanded a seven-figure transfer for final verification
Why It Matters
The case shows how discount travel or entertainment offers can be used to trigger urgency, then pivot into fake refund and account-verification demands that expose victims’ banking details. It also underlines that even people who say they know older relatives are vulnerable can still be caught when family pressure and time pressure combine