Thirty arrested on suspicion of laundering HK$4 million

Kwun Tong police conducted an operation from July 16 to 29 to combat fraud and money laundering cases, arresting 21 men and nine women aged between 19 and 73 on suspicion of money laundering. 

The 30 cases mostly involved shopping scams, online investment scams and employment scams, which caused about HK$4 million of lossess to 24 men and 48 women age 15 to 74, despite some of them paying attention to anti-scam information in daily lives. 

Among the victims, the youngest one was a 15-year-old teen who was tricked into a job-hunting scam. Another case involved a retiree who was swindled out of HK$2 million in a government official impersonation scam, which accounted for half of the total defrauded amount. 

A police spokesman said that the main goal of the operation is to arrest the holders of the stooge accounts, thereby blocking the channels through which fraudsters use to receive or launder the crime proceeds. 

Most of the 21 men and 9 women arrested were stooge account holders and some even admitted that they had lent their accounts to others.

Police warned the public that anyone who borrows their bank accounts for money laundering will face criminal liability regradless of their age. 

Police also appealed to the public to carefully protect personal information, including identity cards, bank documents, as well as photos, videos and other biometric features that can be used to open accounts or borrow money online. 

Citizens are advised to contact the police anti-scam hotline 18222 if they encounter any suspicion fraudulent activities.