The Judiciary Police (PJ) busted a mainland gang on Thursday for using counterfeit casino chips to cheat at least 13 gamblers and illegal currency exchange dealers out of HK$330,000 within one hour – and PJ spokesman Chao Teng Hin said during a special press conference on Saturday that the seized bogus chips closely resembled real ones in appearance, size and weight, making them difficult to distinguish from genuine chips with the naked eye.
The spokesman cited the investigation results, noting that members of the gang entered Macau at 8 p.m. on Thursday and headed to a casino in the city centre. There, they targeted gamblers and illegal currency exchange dealers in exchange scams until the casino discovered the fake chips at 9:30 p.m. and reported the case to the Judiciary Police. Chao added that even in the course of the investigation, the casino had received counterfeit casino chips with a nominal value of HK$10,000 each.
The PJ investigation quickly identified two gang members in their thirties, surnamed Zhao and Gao. During the operation, PJ officers arrested the duo and seized 46 fake chips, including seven that Zhao had discarded in a rubbish bin at the casino, according to the spokesman.
All the victims were mainlanders, suffering losses ranging between HK$10,000 and HK$60,000, with a total amount of HK$330,000, Chao noted.
Under questioning, the duo admitted to the scams, saying that they had been promised a “commission” of 10 percent of the fraudulently obtained money from their victims by the gang’s kingpin in the mainland.
Chao said that the counterfeit chips involved in the case required professional equipment to confirm that they were not authentic, as they were difficult to distinguish from real chips with the naked eye. However, he added, they did not contain a security chip.
The Judiciary Police said during Saturday’s press conference that there are three other suspects who were still at large at the time of the press conference.
Both Zhao and Gao were transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) following the press conference, facing charges of fraud involving a considerable large sum of money.
Concerning the five victims suspected of engaging in illegal currency exchange activities, the Judiciary Police have initiated separate investigations into each of them.
Fake casino chips are on display during Saturday’s special press conference at the Judiciary Police (PJ) headquarters in Zape. – Photo courtesy of TDM
