Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Chong Kam Leong said during a regular press conference yesterday that two men from the mainland have been arrested for involvement in a new type of illegal currency exchange scam tactic.
The 27-year-old suspects are a farmer surnamed Wu and a salesman surnamed Zhang. Both victims are males from the mainland.
According to Chong, one of the victims arranged a currency exchange deal with Wu on WeChat last Thursday. They met in a hotel guestroom, where the victim agreed to exchange 91,000 yuan into HK$100,000 in cash to be provided by Wu. After the bank transfer, Wu claimed that 20,000 yuan had not been credited and thus refused to hand over the remaining HK$28,000 to the victim, coming up with an excuse to leave.
The victim later checked his account and realised that he had indeed transferred the total amount of money, and reported the case to the police
The other victim experienced a similar scam when dealing with Zhang on Sunday. After Zhang attempted to leave following the scam, the victim pursued him in an effort to intercept him. During this confrontation, Wu appeared to assist Zhang in escaping. The victim then made a scene, which attracted nearby security guards, who subsequently reported the case to the police.
Under questioning, both men refused to cooperate. Chong underlined that the new tactic used by fraudsters is designed to provide them with the opportunity to escape by claiming that they had not received the full amount of money agreed between the two sides.
The suspects have been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), facing fraud charges.
Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Chong Kam Leong looks on during yesterday’s regular press conference. – Photo: William Chan
