🌊Student arrested for trying to scam her parents
🌊Student arrested for trying to scam her parents
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On Today’s Tide
Economy | Consumption Vouchers and its impact on the economy
COVID | Experts in favour of 0+0 in order to for HK to go back to normal
Crime | Student arrested for fake kidnapping to scam parents
Behind the paywall:
Public Welfare | The Ever-present Housing Crisis in Hong Kong is not getting any better
Environment | Hong Kong start-up archiREEF is greatly helping corals and wants to restore them all around the world
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Consumption Vouchers will boost local economy.
But it won’t be enough to save the retail sector.
The latest round of consumption vouchers will most definitely lead to many more avid consumers in Hong Kong, with a HK$150 billion (US$19 billion) of increased spending power. From food and drink to culture to even travel, businesses can look forward to incoming profits their way.
So it’s a win-win situation right?
Not quite.
These consumption vouches can be helpful in the short term, but it is still not enough to support the retail sector. Even with HK residents ready to heft on their biggest backpacks and comfiest shoes to embark on a huge shopping spree, the financial devastation that has happened these past few years still runs deep.
Financial Secretary Paul Chan said yesterday that the retail market will still have to combat against “…the volatile global situation, heightened geopolitical tensions, supply-chain disruptions, high inflation and the multiple interest rate hikes…”.
COVID in Hong Kong
COVID-19 in Hong Kong
New cases: 3,569 (215 imported)
Total cases: 1,772,880
New deaths: 6
Total deaths: 10,173
Compulsory Testing locations: 76
0+0 for Hong Kong’s full economic recovery: Financial Experts
The CEO of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce George Leung says that Hong Kong should change quarantine restrictions from the current 0+3 to 0+0 as soon as possible. Claiming that this will be a step forward to having economic growth.
“I think other than quarantine-free travel with overseas countries, equally important is to have quarantine-free travel with mainland China”, he added.
This should be implemented as soon as possible as even if this policy came into place this quarter, effects will not be felt until the first quarter of next year, he said.
So the sooner, the better.
After all, for HK to be Asia’s world city, does it not have to have people come from all around the world?
Student arrested for her role in a faked kidnapping to scam parents into giving $5 Million
A mainland Chinese student studying in Hong Kong has been arrested on suspicion of wasting police resources because of her role in a very elaborate and carefully thought out staged kidnapping with an aim of tricking her parents into handing over HK$5 million (US$637,000) in ransom.
The 18 year old student came to Hong Kong to study an associate’s degree in advertising while her parents still live in the Mainland, according to police sources.
The student was contacted in August by a scammer posing as a Shanghai police officer who accused her of being part of a criminal case. She was duped out of $200,000 in September. However, over time, the scammer gained her trust and she even developed feelings for the scammer. He then tried to scam her again for another $100,000 but when she went to wire the money, the bank caught onto the suspicious transaction and alerted the police.
Despite warnings from the bank, the police and her family, she still believed in the ‘officer’. The scammer then told the student she needed to create a video of herself being kidnapped and tortured for a ‘mission’ to help clear her name. After sending the video to the scammer, the scammer sent it to her parents demanding a ransom.
The charade came to light when police found she had rented a hotel room in Mong Kok to hide in while the scammer was scamming her parents. The police source who watched the video said “what appeared to be blood was shown all over her from the head to legs” but added that it was obviously ketchup.
She was let go after questioning by authorities.
Wow, talk about a way of getting your parent’s attention am I right?
Events and deals
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For more local events, check out yesterday’s High Tide.
Moment: Music and Mindfulness is a collaboration between Ponte and music therapist Howard Ho which uses narration and carefully selected classical pieces to combine arts and mindfulness.
Where: Tsuen Wan Town Hall
When: 8 Oct, 8pm
Cost: $180-350 (student and senior discounts applicable)
Official media partner: ReThink HK returns 5-6 Oct
HT is proud to once again be a media partner for ReThink - HK’s biggest and most exciting sustainability conference. This year’s conference invites more than 300 expert speakers to share their visions and insights, covering important topics like economic progression while coexisting with nature harmoniously, efficient use of resources, transformation to a low-carbon society, and circular economy for future generations.
For more local events, check out yesterday’s High Tide.
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