Student arrested for posing as police in $3m scams

A 19-year-old local student was arrested for forging Hong Kong police warrant cards in connection to at least 10 phone scams that swindled more than HK$3 million out of victims.

According to police, scammers allegedly called the victims, claiming themselves to be mainland officials and accusing them of involvement in money laundering cases.

The scammers would then warn the victims not to disclose case details to anyone, otherwise their assets would be frozen and arrested. This tactic was to prevent them from contacting others, police pointed out.

Scammers would set up a meeting with the victims, showing them the forged police warrant cards, in a bid to collect a large sum of “surety” from them.

The victims were also asked to sign a fake confidentiality agreement with a forged stamp of mainland public security agency, police added.

Scammers would demand payment in cash or bank transfers, and even bank account information, including passwords. 

After investigations, Tseung Kwan O police arrested a man, aged 19, for “obtaining property by deception.”
Officers searched his residence and seized the fake police warrant cards and stamps, as well as tools believed for forgery use, including a printer and electronic devices.

(Jamie Liu)