Hong Kong police have smashed a fraud syndicate and arrested six suspects who allegedly cheated at least 12 victims out of about HK$520,000 (2.24 million baht) in a series of phone scams since last November.
Officers on Sunday also urged schools to be on their guard against phone fraudsters after syndicate members were found in some cases to have pretended to be headmasters or teachers to trick janitors into transferring money to them.
Police said these victims only realised they had been cheated when they later called the genuine headmasters and teachers.
The suspects, aged 23 to 44, were arrested on Friday and Saturday in a series of raids and included three domestic helpers.
The three men and three women were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud and money laundering, said Senior Inspector Luk Hung-kei of the commercial crime bureau's fraud unit.
"The syndicate is believed to have operated since last November," Luk said. "After thorough investigation, we took action and arrested six people in raids on various premises across the city."
Luk added that officers also seized bank cards, mobile phones and SIM cards from the suspects and at their premises during the raids. Among the suspects were two Hong Kong men and a non-ethnic Chinese man.
The victims included customer service staff, security guards and clerks. They lost from about HK$5,000 to HK$130,000 in the cases.
The biggest loss of HK$130,000 involved a security guard who transferred money to a bank account after receiving a call from "a senior executive" of his property management company.
"The role of some of the arrestees in the cases was that of money mole," Luk said, referring to someone who lends or sells their bank accounts to help transfer or process illegally obtained funds on behalf of scammers.
Luk warned the public against selling or lending their bank accounts for quick money or allowing others to use their personal credentials to open accounts.
"This may expose you to the risk of committing money laundering offences. The maximum penalty is a HK$5 million fine and 14 years' imprisonment," he said.
Hong Kong police logged a total of 94,747 crimes in 2024, up 5% year on year. Almost half, or 44,480, were deception cases, an 11.7% rise compared with 2023 figures.