The police received a report from a 53-year-old man on Monday (3rd), saying that a swindler who claimed to be a jewelry businesswoman had met him on social platforms earlier and developed a romantic relationship with him. Later, the scammer lobbied the victim to invest in virtual currency, and he deposited a total of regarding HK$6 million into multiple accounts designated by the other party. The victim had successfully withdrawn a total of regarding HK$700,000 from July to September. However, following applying for the withdrawal of the remaining investment funds and being asked to pay a huge sum of money as a handling fee, the victim suspected that he had been deceived and called the police for help. After preliminary investigation, the case was classified as obtaining property by deception and was handed over to the Yuen Long District Criminal Investigation Team for follow-up. The male victim lost a total of regarding HK$5.3 million in the case.
After in-depth investigation, officers arrested a man surnamed Xu (20 years old) in Tin Shui Wai District at regarding 2:15 in the morning on Wednesday (5th) on suspicion of obtaining property by deception. He is suspected of being involved in the case and is now being detained for investigation. . The police reiterate that anyone who commits the crime of “obtaining property by deception” under Section 12 of the Theft Ordinance, Chapter 210 of the Laws of Hong Kong, carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. The public should not try the law.
