As swindlers have changed their modus operandi by asking victims to deposit cash to their accounts through automatic teller machines in Shau Kei Wan, HKI RCPO started making strategic deployments to combat such crime in Shau Kei Wan before the Chinese New Year.

During an operation in the Shau Kei Wan Mass Transit Railway Station, an officer spotted an elderly woman standing in front of an automatic teller machine and holding a mobile phone and banknotes in both hands. She looked very nervous and kept asking on the phone how to deposit the cash into the teller machine. After observing and analysing the situation, the officer realised that the woman, later known as Mrs Ng, was a victim of an attempted telephone deception. He immediately pressed the "cancel" button to stop the woman inserting the cash into the machine, thus saving the victim from losing $20,000.

Later on February 20, Mrs Ng, accompanied by her husband, called at Hong Kong Island Crime Headquarters to present thank you banners to the Force in the presence of Senior Superintendent Choy Yuen-han and Superintendent Kwok Kang-shing, both from Hong Kong Island Crime Headquarters, and Chief Inspector Chan Kam-hoi and officers of HKI RCPO.

After the banner presentation, Mrs Ng said she had learned a good lesson, and would advise her relatives and friends to be wary of strangers.

Mrs Ng (third from left) and her husband with Station Sergeant Lee Hing-yeung, OC RCPU EDIST (left), Woman Police Constable Yeung Yung-yung of RCPU EDIST (second from left), Chief Inspector Chan Kam-hoi, Regional Crime Prevention Officer Hong Kong Island (second from right) and Senior Inspector Wong Yiu-chuen, ARCPO HKI