Beware of Fake ICAC Officers! Students Studying Overseas Were Cheated and Flew to Hong Kong to Buy Gold Pellets and Hand Them to Scammers in Person, Losing up to $1.57 Million
2026-04-20
Recently, the Police received at least nine reports about “pretend officials” scams. Scammers who successively impersonated officers of the Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau and Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) contacted students studying overseas. They lured those students to travel to Hong Kong, buy gold pellets and hand them these pellets in person.
The scammed students are from 19 to 26 years of age and are studying in academic institutions in the UK, Australia, etc. The amounts involved range from HK$740,000 to HK$1.57 million.