A local man and two local women have separately fallen victim to “fake police” scams, resulting in losses ranging from 105,000 patacas to over HK$420,000, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokeswoman Lei Hon Nei said at a regular press conference on Monday.
According to Lei, each of the victims received calls from someone claiming to be a mainland police officer or a “Liaison Office staff member” in September and October. The callers alleged that a large number of fraudulent messages had been sent from the victim’s respective mainland phone numbers. Believing the calls to be genuine, the victims followed the scammers’ instructions and downloaded a communication software demanded by them. During the video session, they shared their computer screens and provided their personal and bank account information.
The victims later received several messages from their respective banks that money had been transferred from their accounts. Finally realising that they had been defrauded, they called the police for assistance, according to Lei.
Judiciary Police (PJ) spokeswoman Lei Hon Nei looks on during Monday’s regular press conference.
– Photo: William Chan
