A man from the mainland was arrested on Saturday for fraud and illegal exchange activities, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Lei Chi Hou said during a special press conference yesterday.
The 37-year-old suspect surnamed Zhao claimed to be jobless.
According to Lei, a man from the mainland reported to the Judiciary Police on Saturday that he was defrauded at a hotel in Cotai in a currency exchange scam, resulting in a total loss of 45,000 yuan (51,500 patacas). The man planned to exchange Hong Kong dollars for gambling and contacted Zhao, who had exchanged currency with him before. They agreed to exchange 45,000 yuan into HK$50,000 in chips.
On Saturday, Zhao told the man through WeChat that he was at a casino in Cotai and sent him a photo in which he was holding HK$50,000 in chips. Zhao asked him to transfer 45,000 yuan to his bank account in the mainland first. After the man made the transfer, Zhao refused to give him the chips, claiming he had not received the payment. The man suspected he had been defrauded, so he went to the casino to find Zhao and stopped him from leaving. He reported the case to the police afterwards. The police arrested Zhao later that day and discovered that he had no cash or chips for exchange.
Under questioning, Zhao admitted to the crime, saying that he wanted to recover the victim’s cousin’s unpaid debt. He also told the police that he had engaged in currency exchange activities four times since January 2025, involving a total amount of HK$160,000, and had made a profit of HK$60 for every HK$100,000 exchanged. The police confiscated HK$1,900 from Zhao.
Zhao was transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) yesterday and is facing charges of illegal currency exchange activities and fraud.
Judiciary Police (PJ) officers escort the hooded suspect to a PJ van outside the PJ headquarters in Zape yesterday. – Photo: Ada Lei
