Two local residents reported separately on Saturday that they had been cheated in phone scams out of 19,000 yuan and 20,000 yuan respectively last week, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Leng Kam Lun said at a press briefing on Monday.
According to Leng, the female and the male victim told the police last week that each of them received a phone call on Saturday. The female victim told the police that a man claimed to be her son while the male victim told the police that the call was from a man who claimed to be his friend. The scammers told the victims that they had changed their phone numbers and were caught by the mainland police for prostitution, asking each of the two victims to pay their 20,000-yuan bail.
The female victim deposited 19,000 yuan while the male victim deposited 20,000 yuan the following day into bank accounts provided by the callers. The victims lost contact with the fraudsters soon after they deposited the money. The woman later called her own son, while the male victim called his friend. The victims finally realised that they had been cheated and reported the cases to the police.
Leng urged the public to be vigilant to protect their personal information and not easily disclose it to strangers. Anyone suspecting to they had fallen to an online scam should call the PJ Fraud Prevention hotline 8800 7777 or 24-hour hotline 993.
Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Leng Kam Lun looks on during Monday’s press briefing at the PJ headquarters. Photo: Camy Tam
