Luk Fook jewellery salesman jailed over scam involving 'borrowed' gold at Hong Kong shops
A former Luk Fook jewellery salesman was jailed for one year for stealing four gold necklaces and attempting to steal another four by sending a man posing as a staff member to “borrow” gold from other branches.
Jailing Chow Lok-hang, 25, at Kowloon City Court yesterday, Deputy Magistrate Lam Tsz-kan Ö said the offences involved “a breach of trust” in an employee.
The magistrate said Chow spotted the loophole in the jewellery shops’ procedures and made a plan to steal the items.
Chow had earlier admitted four counts of attempting to obtain property by deception.
The prosecution told the court yesterday that Chow stole four gold necklaces, worth about HK$160,000 in total, and failed in attempts to steal another four, valued at HK$100,000.
Previously, the court heard that on Christmas Day last year, a member of staff at Luk Fook’s Park Lane branch in Tsim Sha Tsui received a call during which Chow said someone from the firm’s store in Nathan Road would come over to borrow gold.
But when Chow’s co-accused, Wong Yat-cheong, turned up at the Park Lane store wearing a Luk Fook uniform, a member of staff refused to hand over the gold after discussing the matter with colleagues.
But the court heard two other Nathan Road stores fell victim to the scam as staff were too busy to verify Wong’s identify. Each gave Wong two necklaces.
In the fourth attempt, Chow called a third Nathan Road store, again saying he would send a staff member to borrow gold. But this time staff doubted Wong’s identity and the bid failed.
The offences came to light when Chow’s supervisor asked staff at his store whether anyone had made a request to borrow gold from other stores.
Chow confessed that he needed cash to repay debts and had given a staff uniform to his friend so that he could borrow gold from other stores. He told police under caution he had committed the offences out of greed.
Wong was earlier jailed for one year.
