A local woman studying in the Chinese mainland has fallen victim to a “fake police scam”, losing a total of HK$1.37 million (1.41 million patacas), Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Cheong Kim Fong said during a regular press conference yesterday.
Cheong did not reveal the victim’s age.
According to Cheong, a middle-aged woman received a call from her bank on August 26, during which she discovered that HK$1.37 million had been withdrawn from the account she had opened for her daughter over the summer.
Cheong said that the daughter had received a call from someone claiming to be a “police officer.” The caller accused her of sending numerous scam messages and requested a “fund review.” Following the scammer’s instructions, the daughter misled her mother into believing she needed HK$1.37 million for an overseas exchange programme, asking her to transfer the funds to her account. The daughter provided her bank account information to the scammer, who then transferred the HK$1.37 million out of her account.
Realising her daughter had been scammed, the woman reported a total loss of HK$1.37 million to the police on Saturday.
Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Cheong Kim Fong looks on during yesterday’s regular press conference. – Photo: Ada Lei
