A 38-year-old man was sentenced to 44 months in prison on Thursday for assisting scammers in laundering about HK$8.41 million in criminal proceeds through two stooge bank accounts in 2023.
The defendant, surnamed Ting, who claimed to be a food delivery worker, pleaded guilty at the District Court to two counts of dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offense.
Police said they received reports from seven victims between May and October 2023, involving a total loss of about HK$670,000. The victims, aged between 44 and 56, included teachers, salespeople, repairmen, and warehouse workers.
Investigators said scammers posing as investment experts lured victims into opening accounts on fake websites or mobile applications. In some cases, fraudsters also claimed that family members needed medical expenses and instructed victims to transfer money to multiple local bank accounts.
Victims later discovered they could not recover their investments and had lost contact with the fraudsters, prompting them to report the cases.
Tracing the fund flows, officers found that the money had been deposited into two stooge accounts held by Ting. He was arrested in December 2023 on suspicion of laundering HK$8.41 million in criminal proceeds.
Senior Inspector Lo Chun-kong of the Technology and Financial Crime Unit, New Territories North Regional Headquarters, said police applied for a sentencing enhancement to strengthen deterrence against money laundering through stooge accounts. The court approved a 25 percent increase, resulting in the 44-month prison term.
Police added that more than 260 people convicted of money laundering through stooge accounts received increased sentences between October 2023 and October 2025.
They warned that the offense carries a maximum penalty of 14 years’ imprisonment and a fine of HK$5 million, far exceeding any financial gains offered by crime syndicates.
