Police on Wednesday arrested a 39-year-old man, who was accused of engaging in five "guess-who-I-am" telephone scams toward the elderly involving more than HK$420,000.
The arrestee, a former delivery man, was found calling the victims and falsely claiming to be their son and asking for money to bail him out, in which the maximum amount of money conned out was recorded at HK$200,000.
Officers said on Wednesday that they received five cases of the elderly from the Hong Kong Island district last month reporting to be defrauded, which were believed to have links to each other after the investigations.
Yesterday afternoon, officers launched an ambush when one of the victims went to Shau Kei Wan, where the swindler said on the telephone to deliver HK$30,000 for bail money.
The man was arrested on the spot and detained for being accused of fraud.
The arrestee also belonged to a criminal syndicate in which his accomplices were responsible for calling the victims, while the arrestee went to meet the victims at the location to collect the money.
"The five victims, aged between 67 and 83, mostly lived alone," said the officer, "which led them easily to be the targets of criminals."
The case is under investigation and the police have not ruled out the possibility of more arrestees.
Officers said on Wednesday that they received five cases of the elderly from the Hong Kong Island district last month reporting to be defrauded, which were believed to have links to each other after the investigations.
Yesterday afternoon, officers launched an ambush when one of the victims went to Shau Kei Wan, where the swindler said on the telephone to deliver HK$30,000 for bail money.
The man was arrested on the spot and detained for being accused of fraud.
The arrestee also belonged to a criminal syndicate in which his accomplices were responsible for calling the victims, while the arrestee went to meet the victims at the location to collect the money.
"The five victims, aged between 67 and 83, mostly lived alone," said the officer, "which led them easily to be the targets of criminals."
The case is under investigation and the police have not ruled out the possibility of more arrestees.