A foreign domestic worker helped her elderly employer narrowly avoid losing HKD150,000 in a ransom scam earlier this week.
According to Apple Daily, the 77-year-old employer, surnamed Chiu, had received calls from a strange man claiming to be holding her grandson hostage. The faux kidnapper reportedly called Chiu and demanded she hand over a HKD150,000 cash ransom to ensure her grandson’s safety.
Chiu, who apparently did not suspect she was being swindled, agreed to meet the man in Kowloon City at 1pm on Monday. However, Chiu’s 36-year-old helper reportedly noticed that she was acting strangely before she left, and followed the 77-year-old to Junction Road, where the transaction was supposed to take place.
Just as Chiu was about to hand over the cash to the apparent kidnapper, the helper reportedly leapt forward and interrogated the man, who ran away.
Afterwards, Chiu contacted her grandson over the phone, who confirmed that he was not in any danger.
The hero helper’s name or nationality have not been reported in the media.
The incident was reported to the police, who have classified the case as “an attempt to obtain property by deception”. A team from the Kowloon City District Crime Squad is currently investigating the case, and is searching for a man with short brown hair, who was wearing a black T-shirt, blue jeans, and a pair of sunglasses.
Police have urged the public to be more wary of suspicious phone calls in order to prevent future cases of telephone fraud. Citizens should not disclose information about their family and friends to unknown callers, and report any suspected attempts at telephone scams to the police.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated.
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