Former district councillor jailed 45 months for 'Guess Who' phone scams

Former Islands district councillor Wong Chun-yeung was sentenced to 45 months in prison after pleading guilty to seven counts of money laundering in the District Court on Monday for his role in “Guess Who” phone scams in 2023.

Wong, 31 and currently unemployed, had originally been charged with nine counts of conspiracy to defraud and 10 counts of money laundering, with the money laundering charges listed as alternative charges to the conspiracy counts.

He pleaded guilty to seven counts of money laundering, while the remaining three money laundering charges and three conspiracy to defraud charges were left on court file.

According to the charges, Wong turned himself in on June 6, 2023, claiming that he had found a job online the previous month offering HK$1,500 per day. He said he was instructed to collect cash from victims and was promised HK$1,000 in travel expenses and a commission of 0.2 to 0.4 percent.

Between May 29 and May 31, and June 2, 2023, Wong collected money from six elderly victims aged between 73 and 93.

During the period of the offenses, Wong had contacted law enforcement officers about the possibility of becoming a police informant, but he was advised to report the matter to the police instead.

In sentencing, Judge Clement Lee Hin-nin noted that the defendant acted as a money collector in the scheme and carried out the offenses repeatedly over several days.

The judge added that one elderly victim was defrauded twice, suffering a total loss of HK$200,000.