Two more Hong Kong victims hit by mainland 'police' scammers

Two more Hongkongers have fallen victim to scams involving fraudsters claiming to be mainland police officers, the latest in a series of such incidents in recent months.

As in previous telephone scams, the victims received calls from people purporting to be from a mainland institution, who told them they were suspected of criminal offences.

They were then put in touch with other people posing as mainland police officers, who told them to transfer money to a specified bank account.

In one case, reported to police yesterday, a 54-year-old woman told Hong Kong police she had transferred 190,000 yuan (HK$240,451) to a designated bank account.

In another case, reported on Friday, a 37-year-old woman said she had lost 383,000 yuan after giving her mainland bank account details to the scammer.

Another case reported on Friday involved a fake postal worker, rather than a police officer. The victim, 25, transferred 120,000 yuan after being told a parcel she had mailed was suspected to contain illegal material.