A mainlander was arrested on Saturday for cheating a Hong Kong woman out of HK$1.01 million who had asked a friend to deposit the money in a casino VIP room account, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Lai Chio Hong said at a regular press conference yesterday.
The male suspect is a 24-year-old non-resident worker surnamed Wu who told the police that he works as a sales assistant.
According to Lai, a local businessman in his twenties reported to the police on behalf of his Hong Kong female friend on July 30 that the latter had been cheated out of HK$1.01 million by someone. The businessman told the police that he wanted to repay his debt to his female friend in her twenties who lives in Hong Kong. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the victim was unable to come to Macau to collect the money so she asked him to deposit the HK$1.01 million into someone’s casino VIP room account on July 28, and that person would arrange for her to withdraw the money in Hong Kong. The casino is located in the city centre.
However, two days after the businessman deposited the money, the victim was unable to get her money in Hong Kong and lost contact with the VIP room account holder so she asked her friend (the businessman) to report the case to the police.
Upon investigation, PJ officers discovered that after the businessman deposited the money in the VIP room account, Wu and the account holder immediately withdrew HK$1.1 million in cash from the account – the victim’s HK$1.01 million and HK$90,000 owned by another person.
PJ officers identified Wu and PSP officers intercepted him in the Inner Harbour Ferry Terminal on Saturday when he was about to leave Macau. Wu refused to cooperate with the police. PJ officers are looking for the VIP room account holder who is on the run as well as the whereabouts of the stolen money, according to Lai.
Wu was transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) on Monday, facing a fraud charge, according to Lai.
Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Lai Chio Hong poses during yesterday’s regular press conference. Photo: Camy Tam
