Hong Kong woman loses HK$69m to scammers posing as mainland Chinese officials

A woman from Hong Kong has been defrauded of approximately HK$69 million (US$8.8 million) within a month-long scheme orchestrated by scammers impersonating mainland Chinese officials. According to police, the 43-year-old victim received calls from individuals claiming to be law enforcement officers in mainland China, who accused her of a crime and demanded money for her alleged innocence.

The victim transferred roughly HK$68.9 million through several transactions between July 2 and August 1. She alerted the authorities on Wednesday after developing doubts about the legitimacy of the calls. The Western district crime squad is currently investigating the case, but no arrests have been made thus far. Financial deception through fake-official phone scams is a prevalent issue in Hong Kong.

Authorities recently disclosed that over 40 mainland students in the city had been victims of scammers posing as Chinese law enforcement officers during the first quarter of this year, with the most significant case involving losses exceeding HK$8 million.