A 33-year-old local male suspect has been arrested in Zhuhai for his involvement with a cross-border fraud gang, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Leng Kam Lon said during a special press conference on Tuesday near the Gongbei border checkpoint where Zhuhai Public Security Bureau officers transferred the man to PJ officers.
The suspect surnamed Wong works for a property agency in Macau.
According to Leng, the local police suspect that two other gang members are involved in the case.
Leng said the gang whose members pretended to represent companies or individuals had scammed a number of victims in several foreign countries since 2016 by hacking the victims’ computers or sending fraudulent emails asking the victims to remit money to them. The gang set up several shell companies and opened a raft of bank accounts in Macau to receive and transfer the ill-gotten money.
Leng said the police had discovered since 2016 a string of fraud cases that scammed overseas companies or individuals, and six of the cases involved transnational criminal activities.
Upon investigation, the police discovered that a cross-border fraud gang was involved, which specifically hacked the computers of companies or individuals overseas including in Canada, the Cayman Islands, Sweden, the UK and the US. The gang sent fraudulent emails to the victims to request payments.
The gang mainly involved mainlanders and Hongkongers. A total of eight people set up nine shell companies in Macau between June 2016 and June 2017, involving at least 20 bank accounts. The low-ranking gang members were mainly responsible for withdrawing fraudulently obtained money from bank accounts in Macau and taking it to their “superiors”.
The hooded fraud suspect is escorted by Judiciary Police (PJ) officers at the Barrier Gate checkpoint on Tuesday evening, after his transfer by their counterparts from Zhuhai. Photo: Iong Tat Choi
HK$22 million in ill-gotten gains
The gang received 22 fraudulent payments over the past two years, totalling HK$22 million. The police seized part of the money, while HK$14.7 million had been withdrawn from various bank accounts by the gang members, according to Leng.
Leng said the local police arrested four Hong Kong suspects between July 2017 and November last year. The suspects were responsible for setting up shell companies and withdrawing money from accounts in Macau. One of them is currently on remand, while another one has been released from prison.
According to Leng, the police discovered that Wong had fled to the mainland last month. Thanks to the close cooperation between the police forces in Macau and Zhuhai, Wong was recently arrested in Zhuhai and transferred to Macau on Tuesday evening.
Leng said Wong assisted some of the gang members in opening bank accounts and setting up shell companies in Macau.
No COVID-19 symptoms
According to Leng, Wong showed no novel coronavirus disease symptoms and tested negative for COVID-19 in Zhuhai. However, his temperature will be regularly checked after his transfer to Macau.
Wong will be transferred to the Public Prosecution Office (MP) after all anti-COVID-19 measures and other procedures have been completed. He faces charges of organised crime membership, money laundering and fraud involving a considerable amount – officially defined as exceeding 150,000 patacas, according to Leng.
