21st August 2026 – (Hong Kong) A 59‑year‑old expatriate working at the MTR Corporation has reported losing about HK$74 million over two years after a caller, claiming to be a senior executive at HSBC’s UK private bank, persuaded him to invest in a supposed fixed‑rate, equity‑linked green bond. Acting on instructions received via UK phone numbers and emails that appeared to originate from genuine HSBC domains, he opened accounts and began wiring funds overseas. Police have classified the matter as obtaining property by deception and said no arrests have yet been made.
According to the account given to investigators, the approach began on 12th January 2024. Between February and December that year the victim made seven transfers totalling £5 million from two Hong Kong bank accounts to an alleged conspirator’s Barclays account in the United Kingdom. To build trust, 43 “dividend” deposits arrived between April 2024 and April 2025 amounting to about £350,000, before he was persuaded to send a further £1 million to another account; a separate £80,000 “dividend” was then credited as supposed confirmation.
The payments continued into late 2025 and early 2026. After dividend payments stopped in June 2025, the caller offered excuses while urging additional transfers “to release arrears”, prompting three more remittances between October 2025 and January 2026 totalling £1 million. When nothing further materialised, the victim refused to invest again and the contacts fell silent.
In April this year he notified the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and HSBC and asked both to issue recall requests to the receiving bank, Barclays, but replies indicated the beneficiary account held minimal remaining funds. He also filed an online report to the UK’s Report Fraud UK service and, after receiving no response, made a report to Hong Kong Police on Wednesday 12th. The case is being followed up by Wong Tai Sin District Crime Squad Team 2.
Police have reminded the public that obtaining property by deception is a serious offence carrying a maximum sentence of 14 years’ imprisonment upon conviction. Officers urged residents never to trust unsolicited calls from people claiming to be bank staff, and not to disclose personal information, account numbers or passwords; anyone receiving such contact should verify identities directly with the bank before taking any action.