A 13-year-old girl from Hong Kong has been deceived into handing over gold and diamond jewelry worth HK$300,000 (approximately US$38,470) to scammers who promised they could duplicate the items and provide rewards.
On Friday evening, Hong Kong police announced the arrest of an 18-year-old woman in Tsing Yi in connection with the scam. The arrest occurred two days prior, as the victim was engaged in a transaction with the suspect. The woman, charged with obtaining property by deception, had previously fallen victim to a similar scam. She was released on bail and is scheduled to report back to the police next month.
According to police reports, the girl surrendered several pieces of jewelry, including gold and diamond necklaces, in four separate transactions between August 28 and September 5. The scammers had convinced her online that they could replicate the jewelry and promised to return the originals along with additional rewards. However, these promises were never fulfilled.
The girl’s family became aware of the missing jewelry and suspected she had been scammed. They subsequently reported the incident to the authorities.
The Kwai Tsing district crime squad is actively investigating the case. The police noted that fraud syndicates often exploit young people’s desire for quick financial gain, leading them into deceptive schemes.
Under Hong Kong law, anyone found guilty of obtaining property by deception can face a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.