73-year-old loses $28m in lifesavings

Kelly Kong

A 73-year-old woman lost her lifesavings of HK$28 million in an online scam, police said.

She is one of 665 victims, aged between 15 and 89, unearthed in a police half-month operation codenamed "Enterhaze" from May 27 to this Tuesday to combat scam-related money laundering.

A total of 175 people - 108 men and 67 women aged from 17 to 75 - were arrested for fraud and money laundering offenses in 141 cases.

They were arrested for obtaining property by fraud, conspiring to defraud, laundering money, and inciting others to launder money.

The victims suffered losses of between HK$900 and HK$28 million, with total losses exceeding HK$780 million.

Many of them were doctors, lawyers, pharmacists, investment analysts and university researchers.

Senior inspector Chu Yuen-tim of the technology and financial crime unit on Hong Kong Island said of the scam involving the 73-year-old woman: "The conman advertised on phony websites that she could invest in equities and make enormous gains."

Scammers often acquire fake bank accounts at low cost, with some handing them over for a mere few thousand dollars, to launder their ill-gotten gains.

One such suspect, a 41-year-old man, sold 14 accounts.

Tai Ding-wai, acting chief inspector of the island's regional crime prevention office, said fraudsters frequently pose as customer service representatives, calling people and telling them they had purchased insurance to lure them into providing bank details to "cancel the insurance plan."

Tai warned that "real insurance staff would not ask clients to provide bank details."

Fraudsters were also found to be blatantly recruiting "puppet accounts" on online platforms.

The police will maintain close cooperation with banks to combat fraud. If people suspect they have been deceived, they can use the force's one-stop scam and pitfall search engine "Scameter" or call the "Anti-Scam Helpline" on 18222.