Hong Kong Police Dismantle “Guess Who I Am” Phone-Scam Syndicate

Hong Kong’s Kowloon West crime squad announced a coordinated raid that resulted in the arrest of 17 individuals and the seizure of HK$3.67 million (US$470,500). The operation focused on a fraud network that used foreign “runners” recruited from Malaysia to collect cash from victims of “guess who I am” phone scams.

South China Morning Post

Between June and August, the syndicate duped 22 victims of an estimated HK$2.5 million, with the single largest loss amounting to HK$700,000. Scammers called targets, impersonated relatives or friends, and demanded urgent payments to resolve fabricated arrests or emergencies. Recruited Malaysian runners were paid HK$500–HK$1,000 per day, with flights and accommodation provided, to travel to three transit points and retrieve the cash directly from victims.

South China Morning Post

Police apprehended 12 Malaysian men, aged 20 to 48, on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud, alongside five additional suspects of undisclosed nationality. The seized cash of HK$3.67 million includes the full amount taken from victims and funds recovered during the raid. In one case, officers recovered the entire HK$200,000 defrauded from a victim after locating the address and confronting the perpetrator.

South China Morning Post

Senior Inspector Ng Yin-pak of the Kowloon West crime squad highlighted that victims often remained unaware they had been scammed, believing the money handed over was a police bail payment. The police emphasized that the operation disrupted the cross-border recruitment model and recovered all known proceeds for at least one victim.

South China Morning Post

• “When officers successfully located the address of a victim and arrived at their door to investigate, the victim was still unaware that he had been scammed and firmly believed the money he had handed over earlier was paid to police [for bail],” — Senior Inspector Ng Yin-pak

South China Morning Post