Hong Kong police seize pepper spray gun, handcuffs, baton after arresting man in connection with online employment scam
- Suspect allegedly bought items to ‘live out his fantasy of becoming a policeman’, insider reveals
- Police arrested man after discovering his bank account had been used to collect money from two women who fell for job offer scams
A source familiar with the case said on Tuesday that a preliminary investigation suggested the suspect could have bought the items to “live out his fantasy of becoming a police officer”.
The man, a warehouse attendant, was detained on Monday on suspicion of money laundering after officers discovered his bank account had been used to collect money from two women who fell for job offer scams, the insider said.
“The suspect claimed he sold his bank account to an unknown person in Tsim Sha Tsui for HK$2,000 [US$255],” he said.
Among the items seized in a follow-up raid inside the suspect’s Wang Pok Street flat in Sha Tin were two pepper spray canisters, two imitation handguns, four empty cartridges and two certificates purportedly issued by the force, according to the source.
Possession of imitation firearms is punishable by up to two years in jail. In Hong Kong, imitation firearms can refer to models and toy guns, air guns or guns used in war games.
Police then arrested the man over additional offences for possessing unlicensed firearms, imitation and offensive weapons, and fake documents, as well as obtaining property by deception.
The man was still being held for questioning as of Tuesday morning. Detectives from the Kowloon West regional crime unit are investigating the case.
The source said the two women, aged 22 and 31, were caught up in an online employment fraud, known as click farming or boosting sales, in 2022.
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The pair were told that their job was to boost sales and the popularity of a retail outlet by using their own money to shop online, with swindlers promising to pay them back with a commission.
The insider said the women were coaxed into transferring more than HK$35,000 into six designated bank accounts between September and October of 2022.
The pair realised they had been scammed after they did not get the money back they had spent and were unable to reach the fraudsters.
The source said the investigation revealed one of the bank accounts belonged to the 25-year-old man arrested on Monday.
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Last year, police handled 3,518 online employment fraud cases, an increase of 21.9 per cent from 2,884 cases logged in 2022.
The financial losses involved rose 65 per cent to HK$760 million in 2023 from HK$459 million the year before.
