Hong Kong police arrest 14-year-old boy for collecting cash in HK$554,000 phone scam

Hong Kong police have arrested a 14-year-old boy for allegedly collecting HK$554,000 (US$71,235) from three elderly residents as part of a phone scam in which the victims were told they had to pay a deposit to raise their sons to release.

Police said Saturday that the teenager had been arrested a day earlier on suspicion of conspiracy to obtain services by deception.

Although the student had not received any reward from the masterminds of the scam, the police would file an application in the court due to the seriousness of the case, the force said.

Inspector Leung Cheuk-hang of the Western District Investigation Team said that between October 24 and 28, police had received reports from the three victims claiming that they had paid the student HK$554,000 after scammers posing as lawyers targeted each of them had told them that their sons were being held in criminal cases and needed bail money.

The victims, all women, were between 75 and 84 years old, police said.

“The victims believed it to be true and handed over a total of HK$554,000 in cash and in person to the detainee near their homes, as instructed by the criminal,” Leung said.

The fraudsters used the ‘guess who I am’ scam tactic, where scammers typically call their victims and ask them to guess their identity.