Thirty people arrested on charges of laundering 4 million Hong Kong dollars

Kwun Tong police carried out an operation to combat fraud and money laundering from July 16 to 29, arresting 21 men and nine women aged between 19 and 73 on money laundering charges.

Most of the 30 cases involved shopping scams, online investment scams and employment scams, which resulted in losses of about HK$4 million to 24 men and 48 women aged between 15 and 74, even though some of them pay attention to fraud prevention information on a daily basis.

The youngest victim was a 15-year-old teenager who was defrauded in a job scam. Another case involved a pensioner who was defrauded of HK$2 million in a government official impersonation scam, which was half of the total amount defrauded.

A police spokesman said the main objective of the operation was to arrest the holders of fake accounts and thus block the channels through which fraudsters receive or launder criminal proceeds.

Most of the 21 men and nine women arrested were illegal bank account holders, and some even admitted to lending their accounts to other people.

Police have warned the public that anyone found borrowing money from a bank account for the purpose of money laundering will be subject to criminal prosecution regardless of age.

The police also appealed to the public to take special care to protect their personal data, including identity cards, bank documents, as well as photos, video recordings and other biometric data that can be used to open accounts or borrow money online.

Members of the public are advised to contact the Police Anti-Fraud Hotline on 18222 if they notice any suspected frauds.