Hong Kong police have arrested a 21-year-old waiter and a 16-year-old Secondary Four student over two alleged phone scams in which couriers posed as mainland officials and delivered forged documents to victims. The men were arrested in Aberdeen and Shau Kei Wan respectively on September 1, police said.
A 34-year-old woman from the mainland lost HK$500,000 in the first case, including two bank transfers totalling HK$300,000 and HK$200,000 in cash, according to police.
Police said the woman initially received a call from someone claiming to be an Immigration Department officer. The caller alleged that her telephone number was linked to a mainland money-laundering case before transferring her to people posing as mainland police officers.
The alleged fraudsters instructed the woman to follow their directions, keep the case secret and report her whereabouts regularly. They arranged for a person claiming to be a “special investigation officer” to meet her. She later realised she had been deceived when she could no longer contact the alleged fraudsters.
Police said the suspected fraud syndicate recruited the two men as couriers and arranged for them to wear suits, carry document folders and seals, and meet victims in public places. The men allegedly gave victims forged asset-freezing orders or confidentiality agreements, instructed them to sign documents and collected cash.
In the second case, officers acted in time to prevent a victim from losing money, police said. They arrested the 21-year-old in Aberdeen while he was allegedly handing over a forged mainland police confidentiality agreement. The 16-year-old was arrested in Shau Kei Wan on the same day.
Police seized a suspected forged confidentiality agreement, a seal, a document envelope, suits believed to have been worn during the alleged offences, a printer and four mobile phones. The two men were arrested on suspicion of obtaining property by deception and attempting to obtain property by deception. The Tseung Kwan O district crime squad is investigating.