Man turns from scam victim to accomplice after losing MOP300,000

A local man was arrested by police last Friday after attempting to recover MOP300,000 lost in an online loan scam by reaching out to the scammers and providing his bank account to facilitate their illegal activities.

The Judiciary Police (PJ) held a press conference on Saturday to announce the arrest of the man, who went from being a victim to participating in fraud.

The case revealed that in December, the man responded to a loan advertisement on social media, after which the scammers claimed they could provide a loan but required an upfront processing fee. Ultimately, he was defrauded of MOP300,000, which he later reported to the police.

However, police revealed that after reporting the incident, the man continued to communicate with the scammers, agreeing to lend them his bank account to handle the fraudulent funds in hopes of recovering the MOP300,000 he had lost.

Eventually, his account was exploited by the scammers to receive payments from a local woman who fell victim to a similar online loan scam, resulting in total losses of HKD620,000.

According to police, the case emerged last Friday when the female victim reported the theft to authorities. Investigators noted strong indications of the man’s involvement in the conspiracy, as he withdrew all the fraudulent proceeds in cash.

However, when police attempted to recover the funds from him, they discovered a shortfall of HKD30,000.

Meanwhile, data from the PJ revealed that from January 30 to noon on February 6, a total of 57 fraud leads and tips were reported by the public.

Among these, 30 involved impersonation of public security and judicial authorities, 20 were related to phishing SMS scams, five involved online shopping fraud, and two involved investment scams. The PJ expressed “significant concern” and urged the public to stay informed about anti-fraud updates, emphasizing the importance of enhancing personal awareness and actively sharing information with friends and family to collectively prevent fraud.