Second University of Hong Kong student falls victim to scam, loses HK$1.8 million

A 22-year-old mainland Chinese student at the University of Hong Kong has lost HK$1.8 million (US$231,300) to fraudsters in a phone scam, the second such victim from the institution in less than a week.

A police source said on Tuesday the female student had received a call in December from someone impersonating staff from the city’s Immigration Department.

The scammer said the woman was involved in a case in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, and asked to inspect her financial assets.

She was instructed to open an account at a designated bank and threatened with arrest if she refused. The fraudster later instructed the student to pay a deposit as a guarantee to clear her name.

She transferred HK$1.8 million to a Hong Kong account provided by the scammer across six transactions between December 30 last year and January 17.

The victim was soon unable to contact the person and realised she might have been scammed. She reported the case to police on Tuesday morning.

A Western district investigation team is handling the case.