Hong Kong police arrest 1,121 over online, phone scams totalling HK$2.2 billion
- Suspects arrested during operation ‘AttackPlan’ made up of 768 men and 353 women linked to 952 cases of deception and tech-based crimes
- Crackdown also targets cross-border syndicate believed to employ mainland Chinese to set up bank accounts in Hong Kong to launder crime proceeds, police say
Hong Kong police have arrested 1,121 people in a three-week crackdown on fraud syndicates accused of using internet and phone scams to cheat people out of about HK$2.2 billion (US$280 million).
The force said on Friday that the suspects comprised 768 men and 353 women, aged 14 to 89, linked to 952 cases of deception and technology-based crimes, mainly employment, shopping and investment scams.
Those arrested in the operation between March 25 and April 11, code-named “AttackPlan”, were suspected of money laundering, conspiracy to defraud and obtaining property by deception, according to the force.
Acting Senior Superintendent Chow Cheung-yau of the police financial intelligence and investigation bureau, said city officers had exchanged information with mainland China’s National Anti-Fraud Centre as part of their investigation.
The operation also brought down an alleged cross-border syndicate believed to have laundered more than HK$230 million in suspected crime proceeds in March, he said.
Chow said those detained included eight mainland men and a Hong Kong woman, all aged between 29 and 48, who are suspected of working for the syndicate.