Fake fire officer targets clinic in wheelchair scam
Thestandard · 1 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
A fake-order scam has resurfaced in Hong Kong, with a man claiming to be a Fire Station Officer contacting a physiotherapy clinic and booking six appointments for supposedly injured colleagues before asking the clinic to advance a deposit for 20 electric wheelchairs. The clinic became suspicious, checked the named supplier online, found it had been linked to earlier scams, and refused to transfer the money; none of the six booked patients turned up on Tuesday
Key Points
- A clinic staff member said on Threads on Tuesday that the caller claimed several colleagues had been injured and needed treatment, prompting six bookings at once
- Before the first appointment on Tuesday, the man said he urgently needed 20 electric wheelchairs and asked the clinic to pay a deposit to a designated medical company
- Staff checked online, found the supplier's name had previously appeared in scam reports, refused to transfer funds, and avoided financial loss
- The six appointments were left unused because none of the supposed patients appeared, prompting criticism that genuine patients were deprived of slots
- The report linked the case to a January last year scam in which two car repair shops lost more than HK$270,000 after fake Macau fire department tyre orders
Why It Matters
Police's Anti-Deception Coordination Centre warned businesses not to be dazzled by large orders or easy profits and not to pay deposits without verification. It advised checking official contact details, using the Scameter website or app, and calling the Anti-Scam Helpline 18222 when in doubt