Sham Shui Po phone repair shop staff foil investment scam targeting elderly women

Staff at a phone repair shop in Sham Shui Po's Golden Computer Centre prevented two elderly women from falling deeper into an investment scam after they sought help installing a suspicious app.

The women, aged 60 to 70, had already spent over HK$30,000 on fake "paper gold" investments, similar to cryptocurrency schemes, lured by fraudsters who built trust via messaging apps.

The incident occurred at EZFIX, a smartphone repair specialist. The women believed installing the app would allow them to withdraw their "invested" funds, claiming they had previously recovered some money.

Staff recognized the classic scam pattern, showed news reports as evidence, and explained how withdrawals involved hefty 30% fees designed to extract more cash.

Despite initial resistance—one woman insisted on proceeding to get her money back—staff deleted suspicious apps and scammer contacts from their phones.

One woman was a regular customer; the other, her friend. They later returned for Gmail verification help but eventually informed family members, who are following up.

Staff did not report to police out of respect for customer wishes.

The shop owner noted such cases are common among elderly visitors seeking tech help, often revealing scam messages. Most listen to warnings, but some seem brainwashed.

The story, shared on social media, earned praise from netizens for the staff's kindness and efforts to raise awareness about online traps targeting seniors.