T local business owners have fallen victim to an elaborate “order fraud” scam, collectively losing HKD175,000 in the process.
According to the police yesterday, the two victims received calls last week from individuals who claimed to be “middle school staff” from Macau.
The callers falsely claimed they wanted to cooperate on a decoration project and purchase kitchen utensils, before saying they needed to order mattresses for a nursing home.
The victims were told the “supplier” had fallen out with the scammers and were subsequently asked to assist in ordering, respectively, 200 and 60 mattresses. The victims then transferred HKD145,000 and HKD30,000 to the Hong Kong bank accounts in question.
After inquiring with the relevant schools and viewing anti-fraud advertisements, the victims suspected they had been deceived and reported the incident to the police, seeking assistance.
The police are investigating the case and remind the public to be cautious when receiving similar calls requesting financial assistance. Residents are advised to verify the identity of callers and not to transfer funds unless they are certain the request is legitimate. VC
