Hong Kong police arrest 4 in crackdown on fraud syndicate suspected of scamming residents out of HK$23 million
- Suspected ringleader, three followers held for allegedly conspiring to defraud and possessing offensive weapon
- ‘Investigation shows the syndicate had been in operation for about a year,’ inspector says
Inspector Tong King-pui of the Kowloon City anti-triad squad said on Thursday the gang’s alleged ringleader and his three followers were apprehended two days earlier during a raid on the operations centre in an industrial unit on Ma Tau Kok Road.
Inside the premises, officers seized HK$330,000, 45 bottles of expensive liquor worth HK$150,000, a retractable baton, 57 bank cards, 40 mobile phones, three computers and account books, he said.
Intelligence indicated the syndicate moved its operations centre to Kowloon City about three months ago, but “investigation showed the syndicate had been in operation for about a year”, according to Tong.
He said the gang was linked to 41 deception cases, including online investment frauds, internet love swindles and employment and low-interest loan scams. The largest involved an investment fraud that duped a resident out of HK$7 million.
According to the force, the syndicate’s mastermind also instructed his members to look for stooge bank accounts on different channels to launder the scammed money, as well as offer cash to their holders.
