'Funds needed for investigation': Woman transfers ₹3.28 cr after fraudster claims bank a/c linked to 'money laundering'

A 66-year-old woman from Hong Kong fell victim to fraudsters who spent around HK$2.7 million (approx. ₹3.27 crore) from her bank account. The woman, a resident of Sau Mau Ping, told police on Saturday that she received a phone call from a scammer claiming she was involved in money laundering earlier in October, the South China Morning Post reported.

The scammer told the 66-year-old that the account she was using to buy insurance online was being investigated for suspected illegal financial transactions. The caller then convinced her to transfer the funds to designated bank accounts for the purpose of the investigation.

Woman transfers ₹3.27 crore before suspecting fraud, contacts the police

The woman, not paying attention to the fact that the caller is a fraud, transferred the money to one of the listed accounts. She originally transferred HK$2 million ( ₹2.42 crore) and later made another transfer of HK$700,000 ( ₹84.7 lakh), bringing her total losses to approximately HK$2.7 million ( ₹3.27 billion crowns).

After making the transfers, she felt something was wrong and made her file a complaint with the police and report the incident.

The authorities registered the case as a fraud. No arrests had been reported at the time of reporting.

The incident follows a fraud pattern previously identified by Hong Kong’s Anti-Fraud Coordination Center (ADCC). In such scams, fraudsters pose as employees of banks or law enforcement agencies and accuse unsuspecting individuals of participating in illegal financial activities.

How do scammers pull off such scams?

In an earlier public advisory, the ADCC warned residents against fraudsters who falsely claim their bank accounts have been linked to suspicious transactions or money laundering.

Fraudsters may then instruct victims to transfer their money to designated bank accounts, stating that the transaction is necessary to solve an alleged financial crime or assist with an investigation.

Hong Kong police warn of suspicious calls

Authorities have repeatedly clarified that real law enforcement officials never ask individuals to move money to specific bank accounts as part of an investigation.

Residents were urged to independently verify suspicious phone calls rather than trust the claims of unidentified callers.

The Hong Kong Police also operates a 24-hour anti-fraud helpline, 18222, through which people can seek help if they suspect they have been targeted by fraudsters.

Anyone who believes they have fallen victim to such a scam has been advised to report the incident to the police. Further details of the helpline are available on the ADCC website.