One of the city's biggest telephone fraud gangs has been broken up - but police warn the scams continue and that gangs' tactics and technology are evolving.
Two Hongkongers arrested in Shenzhen confessed last week to being masterminds of a gang which is accused of cheating people in Hong Kong of more than HK$3 million since early this year. The men will appear in court next month.
Despite an extensive public education campaign, criminals cheat and extort more than HK$20 million a year, mostly from the city's elderly.
The deception begins with a telephone call - always between 9am and 5pm when the rest of the family is at work - from one of the scammers, who will say: 'Guess who?'
When the victim answers with a family member's name, the caller usually says his life is in danger and that a significant amount of money must be transferred or he will be killed or injured. By the time the victim verifies that the family member is safe and well, tens of thousands of dollars have been transferred.
In one case in July, a 70-year-old woman on Hong Kong Island deposited HK$1.2 million into an account over a week because she could not get in touch with the family member.
The Shenzhen police operation involved cross-border co-operation with Hong Kong police.
