Man cheated out of loans and his family's savings
A 19-year-old local female college student was hired by a scam gang, suspected of impersonating a Mainland "special agent investigator".
Later, the man rented a hotel in Tseung Kwan O and met with a woman who claimed to be a "secret agent" outside the hotel. He was tricked into signing a fake non-disclosure agreement document with fake Mainland public security seals, and asked him to transfer more than $3 million in "guarantee" to a designated bank account, claiming that the money was used for case investigation. He later saw a similar fraud case online, and he learned that he was being cheated, so he called the police for help.
The investigation revealed that the arrested woman claimed to have been recruited by fraudsters claiming to be Mainland law enforcement officers earlier to act as fake investigators; she met with the victim as instructed, showed the fake law enforcement documents and official documents provided by the fraud group, and helped the fraud group deliver fake documents to the victims. Sources said that the arrested woman was studying economics-related subjects, and the fake Mainland law enforcement documents and documents she used in the case were provided by her party and printed out using a printer at home; but the gang members of the fraud group never showed up in the process. As for the 24-year-old victim, a Hong Konger, working as a coder, the money was tricked from loans and his family's savings. Case handed over to District Crime Squad 2 of Tseung Kwan O for follow-up.
Police reiterated that under section 17 of the Theft Ordinance, Cap 210 of the Laws of Hong Kong, "acquiring property by fraud" is a very serious offence, punishable by up to 10 years' imprisonment upon conviction. In such cases, both the victims and the arrested, there is no shortage of young people with higher education backgrounds. Police remind members of the public that law enforcement officers in the Mainland or Hong Kong will never ask the public to transfer money, pay a deposit, sign a so-called non-disclosure agreement, and will not ask for online banking passwords. In addition, the police also urge young people to be more alert and beware of getting involved in fraud cases, and not to be recruited by criminals because of a moment of thought or credulity about others. If you have any doubts, please call the anti-fraud hotline 18222 or go to the police station for assistance or report a case.