Fake tenant paid rent early, then handed landlords phones rigged to drain their crypto wallets

Hong Kong police arrested a 67-year-old woman suspected of posing as a flat-hunter to swindle HK$4.3 million, or US$510,000, from two landlords.

She allegedly lured them into a bogus cryptocurrency investment that gave a scam syndicate access to their wallets.

Rent upfront, then a phone loaded with an app

The Western district crime squad said the scam began with finding property listings.

The woman pretended to be a tenant and paid rent ahead of time to build trust with the landlords. After that, she began talking about what she called a “high-return investment.”

Every victim was provided with a free mobile phone with a pre-installed cryptocurrency app. Police said the app was genuine, but its links had been altered to let the syndicate quietly reach into victims’ e-wallets.

One of the victims was drained of more than HK$1 million, the other, more than HK$3 million. The combined sums come to the HK$4.3 million figure police have put on the case.

Investigators believe the woman is a core member of the syndicate. She was arrested on Monday at her home. She is accused of getting the two owners to transfer funds before the other members helped move the money out.

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