71 arrested as 136 scammed of HK$530m

Seventy-one people have been arrested this month in connection with 66 scam and money-laundering cases that saw 136 victims tricked into parting with more than HK$530 million. Speaking on Monday, Inspector Julian Leung from the Hong Kong Island regional technology and financial crime unit said the suspects – 49 men and 22 women aged between 20 and 76 – were arrested for alleged money laundering and obtaining property by deception. Of the cases, an American company suffered the highest single loss of over HK$14 million, he said. That, Leung said, came after the manager of the company received an email from a scammer posing as the firm’s chief executive in July requesting the transfer of the money to a Hong Kong bank account. “The unsuspecting manager made the transfer as instructed. It wasn’t until the person contacted the real CEO of the company that they learned the CEO’s email had been hacked and realised that it was a scam,” he said. Leung said two people involved in the case had been arrested on suspicion of money laundering. He warned that money laundering is a serious offence and subject to heavier sentences. Edited by Tony Sabine