Fraudsters hit the jackpot: phone scammers cheat HK victims out of HK$1.8bil over 15 years

Masterminds evade arrest as cross-border scams target even well-educated, tech-savvy victims. Fraudsters update their scripts, use national security law to frighten victims into paying up. — SCMP

Senior Superintendent Neil Chan Tat-ming has never forgotten the 80-year-old man who reported being swindled out of more than HK$300,000 (US$38,460 or RM160,499) by a phone scammer claiming to be his son.

The veteran detective was stumped by the man’s reply when asked if he had contacted his son to check.