Elderly woman loses HKD1.42 million in fraud

An elderly woman is suspected of having fallen victim to a fraud scheme orchestrated by someone posing as a police officer.

She lost contact with her relatives and friends for about 20 days, during which time she stayed in a hotel as instructed by the fraudster.

Additionally, she paid “bail money,” resulting in a loss of HKD1.42 million.

According to police report yesterday, the woman received a call on June 18 from a person claiming to be a mainland bank employee. The caller alleged her identity had been used to defraud others of HKD5 million and requested her assistance in an investigation on the mainland.

When the woman explained she could not stay in the mainland, the call was transferred to someone claiming to be a mainland law enforcement officer.

This individual knew her name, Home Visit Permit number and telephone number, which convinced her of his legitimacy.

Following his instructions, she refrained from contacting anyone and rented a guesthouse in the Taipa District.

On July 9, the supposed officer told her she needed to transfer all the money from her Macau account to a designated Hong Kong account to be released on bail, pending trial. She complied with this instruction.

It was not until July 30 that the woman received a call from her Hong Kong bank inquiring about the reason and source of the large fund transfer. LV