Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Leng Kam Lon said during a regular press conference yesterday that a man from the mainland has been arrested for involvement in a new type of illegal currency exchange scam tactic.
The suspect is a 29-year-old male surnamed Liu. He told the police that he’s jobless.
According to Leng, on Saturday Liu arranged a deal with a mainland male visitor at a Cotai hotel. The arrangement stipulated Liu acting as the intermediary between the visitor and another gambler. The visitor handed HK$100,000 to Liu, with the understanding that the gambler would transfer 94,500 yuan to Liu and then back to himself.
The trio then met in the gambler’s hotel room. The victim gave the cash to the gambler, while the gambler transferred 24,500 yuan to the victim and 70,000 yuan to Liu, with Liu promising to transfer the remaining amount to the visitor later.
Later, Liu told the victim that his transfer limit had been reached, after which he snuck away. The visitor lost contact with Liu and reported the case to police.
Liu was arrested on Tuesday and police discovered that he’s also an overstayer. Under questioning, he admitted to the crime.
The suspect has been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), facing a fraud charge, Leng said.
Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Leng Kam Lon looks on during a regular press conference yesterday. – Photo: William Chan
