[Scam/Telephone Scam/Guess Who] In 2022, the number of scams in Hong Kong and the amount involved will increase sharply year-on-year. In addition to losing their wealth, countless victims will be traumatized and devastated. Individual victims are more likely to Seeking death for ruining his life.
In November last year, a 90-year-old mother-in-law in Tuen Mun was defrauded of 400,000 yuan in a "coffin book" and committed suicide. It can be seen that the telegraphic deception is not only about defrauding money, but also indirectly killing people.
Ms. Chen (pseudonym), a Hong Kong resident who is also the victim of the fake official deception case, was interviewed by "Hong Kong 01". She empathized with her mother-in-law's experience. In the end, he lost all his money and suffered a huge psychological blow.
She called on the relatives and friends of the victims or the general public to support them and not to sprinkle salt on the wounds. "Stop saying that the victims are stupid, or add to the psychological burden. In fact, it is already very miserable, because some people can't get out of the haze. Not to open, to commit suicide.”
Ms. Chen, who once fell into the trap of electric scams, did not want to be another victim, so she mustered up the courage to tell her own experience, hoping that the public will beware.
(Photo by Yang Wanting)
Last year, Ms. Chen accidentally fell into a phone scam trap. She was subjected to a "telephone battle" by many scammers for more than a month.
Even though the matter has come to an end now, she is still unable to get out of her psychological shadow. From time to time, she thinks about what happened that day, "I didn't sleep well, and I thought over and over again why I was deceived."
The incident originated in October last year, when the Cambodian government launched a high-profile sweeping operation after fraudulent groups in Southeast Asia such as Cambodia and Myanmar KK Park were kicked out.
Chen received a call claiming to be a WeChat employee. The other party revealed Chen's personal information, including the number of his home return permit, etc., saying that his account was used to publish recruitment advertisements in Southeast Asia in Beijing, and the company had to report the situation to the mainland police.
Scammers falsely claim that the case is serious and requires first-level confidentiality to prevent the victim from leaking secrets
The call was immediately forwarded to a "mainland public security officer" who falsely claimed that Chen was involved in a money laundering case, describing it as a "serious case" requiring "first-level confidentiality."
The other party asked Chen to rent a hotel room, and the leader had a closed-door conversation with her.
She must keep the whole process confidential, not contact relatives and friends or go online, and need to report her whereabouts every two hours, otherwise she may be arrested and fined.
After Chen checked into the hotel, she received a call from the self-proclaimed "Chief Prosecutor of the Beijing Procuratorate." The other party threatened to deport her to Beijing immediately and freeze her bank assets, threatening "I can arrest you at any time."
Chen Duofan insisted on his innocence and refused to go north. After more than an hour of tussle between the two sides, the other party softened his attitude and allowed Chen to stay in Hong Kong for investigation.
The scammer asked Ms. Chen to report her whereabouts every two hours, otherwise she might be arrested and fined. She obeyed like a brainwashed boat.
(Photo by Wang Haitu)
The scammer once paid the phone bill and said: Doing things for the country will not cost you money
The swindlers continued to scare her and fabricate different deception scenarios, falsely claiming that she was harboring criminals, that her mobile phone had been hacked, etc., and asked her to prove her innocence and buy a new mobile phone.
To increase their persuasiveness, the scammers even arranged for a middle-aged woman in a white shirt and trousers who claimed to be an "ICAC Commissioner" to meet in a park near Chen's residence.
After the woman showed her ICAC ID, she asked Chen to sign a non-disclosure agreement and paid her for the purchase of the phone. She said, "If you work for the country, the country will not make you lose money." She also claimed that the country would pay psychological compensation after the case was closed.
Until mid-November, the fraudster asked Chen twice to open an account at a designated bank, and then logged in to the webpage link provided by the fraudster, which was composed of pure numbers and appeared to be a public institution, and entered his personal bank account, ATM password and other information on the website, so that Beijing could The Hong Kong Monetary Authority verified the information for asset review and asked her to transfer her personal deposits to the new account in batches for auditing.
Chen half-believed and dubious, wrote and deposited two checks of about 100,000 yuan and 200,000 yuan respectively. Later, after seeing some fraud reports, he suspected that he had been cheated. He immediately froze his account, changed his password and disabled his online banking. After seeking help from the ICAC and the police, it was confirmed that he was cheated. Fortunately, it was discovered in time and the final guarantee was not lost.
▼In the fake official scam, scammers show photos in uniform and fake web pages▼
After more than a month, I am still emotionally trapped and keep asking why I was cheated
"When I got my deposit back at the bank, I was relieved at that time. I felt that this month's abuse was over, and I immediately relaxed. But after being psychologically abused for a whole month, sometimes I would not sleep well, and I would think over and over again why I was abused. I kept thinking about the case, why did I believe it?" She found that there were many clues that could reveal the deception, such as the link on the webpage is "http" with low security, and the ICAC commissioner dressed like a security guard, but the other party Using psychological tactics, she was confused and deceived.
The scammers kept threatening her to get involved in serious crimes, threatening to recover losses, make arrests or freeze assets; show photos in uniform, ID cards, and public security documents, and gain trust through the image of "authority"; resorted to "social isolation" tricks, not allowed She revealed to the outside world that she would report her whereabouts every two hours; sometimes, the appeasement club would help clear her innocence, prioritize asset reviews, and help her prove her innocence as soon as possible.
Ms. Chen said frankly that she didn't dare to ask for help at the time, and she fell into a trap. "At that moment, it seemed that only he (the scammer) could help me."
Ms. Chen hopes that the public will not cause secondary harm to the victim. "Don't think that the victim is stupid. You are the victim at the moment, and you may not be so clear-headed, because the authorities are confused... Some people can't get out of the haze. There are cases of refusal and suicide.” She also appealed to the victims to discuss and confide in their families about everything.
How can the public assess security risks when encountering suspicious calls, online shopping sellers, friend invitations, job advertisements, and investment websites?
The police set up an "anti-fraud video device" for citizens to input relevant information to assess fraud and network security risks. For details, click here...
In the fake official scam, what are the common tactics used by scammers to lure victims into the scam?
In the fake official scam, scammers may display uniform photos and fake webpages to increase persuasiveness. For real cases, please click here...
In 2022, the fraud case involved 3.9 billion yuan. The police chief helped the 90-year-old man to protect the coffin. The book: The scammers will be punished by the law. After being cheated, they often blame themselves. Xiang Qingxuan: 20% of the sufferers are at risk of suicide.
The police contacted a number of non-government organizations, integrated their contact methods and available services, and produced a "Support Booklet for Deception".
The booklet will be given to the deception reporter. The police hope that when they take the statement, they will also provide additional support to the reporter, so that the reporter will know that there are different resources and methods in the society to provide assistance, and help the reporter to get out of the predicament as soon as possible.
(the Internet)