Hong Kong teen, pregnant woman arrested after 3 elderly people duped out of HK$1.5 million
- Police say two suspects allegedly paid as little as HK$500 each to help telephone deception syndicate collect money scammed from victims
Hong Kong police have arrested a 16-year-old student and a pregnant woman on suspicion of swindling three elderly residents out of HK$1.5 million (US$192,070) in total in separate cases of the “guess who I am” phone scam within six weeks.
The force said on Thursday that the two suspects were allegedly paid as little as HK$500 each to help a telephone deception syndicate collect the money scammed from the victims.
The investigation began after police received two reports of phone scams that targeted a 77-year-old man and an 89-year-old woman who were duped out of HK$1.23 million in total in May and June.
The victims received phone calls from scammers impersonating their relatives who claimed they had been detained by police during a criminal investigation and demanded bail money from the two elderly residents, according to Inspector Wong Kai-sum of the Western criminal investigation unit.
Wong said fraudsters then sent their accomplices to the victims’ flats to collect the money, according to the force.
The two elderly residents realised they had been conned when they contacted their families. Reports were then made to police.
Police checked surveillance camera footage and identified the two suspects – the schoolboy and pregnant woman.
On Wednesday, officers swooped into action and arrested the woman in Causeway Bay and the teenager in Tin Shui Wai.
The inspector said an investigation revealed the woman was also linked to another phone scam that targeted another elderly resident who lost HK$280,000 on May 13.
Chief Inspector Lo Kin-pong said investigations suggested the suspects were paid between HK$500 and HK$1,000 to work for the syndicate.
The two suspects were detained on suspicion of obtaining property by deception – an offence punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Lo said police had noticed criminal gangs used monetary rewards to lure residents such as students and housewives into engaging in such illegal activities.
“As the summer vacation approaches, many students are interested in finding summer jobs,” he said. “It is important for parents to provide proper guidance and teach their children to avoid falling victim to criminals who may exploit them for illegal activities.”
In “guess who I am” phone scams, fraudsters call their victims, pretend to be a family member in distress and ask for money.
The tactic is one of three common tricks, the others being bogus kidnappings and fraudsters pretending to be officials.
