"When something goes wrong, don't be afraid and stay calm," says Li Man-chuen, who helped the Police solve a fraud case with his calm state of mind. In May 2012, 84-year-old Mr Li received a phone call from two swindlers. One claimed to be Mr Li’s son and said he had been kidnapped and assaulted. Another swindler spoke on the phone and claimed that his son had borrowed HK$200,000 from his company and had failed to repay it. He alleged that Mr Li's name had been given as the guarantor, and requested Mr Li to pay the full amount to ensure the safe return of his son.
Suspicious of the call, Mr Li pretended to believe the swindler and attempted to negotiate with him. Mr Li told the swindler that he only had HK$60,000, and would need an hour to go to the bank to withdraw the money. He asked the swindler to call him back in an hour to confirm the drop-off location. The swindler fell for his story, but as soon as he was off the phone, Mr Li called his son and found out he was safe. He then called the Police. With Mr Li’s assistance, the Police succeeded in arresting the two swindlers, who were sentenced to 21 months in prison. Mr Li was presented the Good Citizen Award in 2012. Mr Li, who used to be a policeman, said: "We should never tolerate fraud. We should stay calm and report the incident to the Police."
