DDHK.ORG - Polisi Hong Kong arrested 24 foreign domestic workers (PRT) this week for allegedly being involved in money laundering cases. Unmitigated, in 10 months the "dirty money" laundered by this crime syndicate reached more than HK$27 million!
As reported by The Standard, Wednesday (28/7/2021), the police said that this money laundering syndicate used an Indonesian domestic worker and 23 domestic workers from the Philippines to open at least 35 bank accounts to launder money.
Together with these 24 foreign domestic workers, the Hong Kong police also arrested 5 people suspected of being the masterminds of the money laundering syndicate. They are 3 people from Nigeria and 2 people from the Philippines.
From the hands of the perpetrators more than HK$330.000 in cash, more than 100 debit cards (ATMs), and a number of billing counters were confiscated. Police also froze more than HK$1,5 million from dozens of bank accounts used by the syndicate.
“The syndicate used domestic workers' bank accounts to receive proceeds of crime. Domestic workers are given several thousand dollars as a reward for giving them their debit card and card password,” said Chan Hok-lun, Chief Inspector of the Bureau of Financial Intelligence and Investigation.
Some of the money they laundered, totaling HK$13 million, came from at least 20 romance scams and two email scams orchestrated by the syndicate.
Chan said the romance scam took place from last July to this May. Four men and 16 women aged between 21 and 73 have fallen victim to this syndicate scam. The amount of money lost from the victims ranged from HK$7.000 to HK$1,68 million.
He said scammers usually pose as professionals from the United States, Europe or Southeast Asia and peddle online romance with victims quickly. They will then use various excuses to cheat their money, such as showing how badly they need money.
“These victims will send money to the bank accounts used by the perpetrators. Syndicate members will take money from ATMs and then give cash to the mastermind of this crime," Chan said.
Two other email scams occurred from last July to December, in which a local accounting firm and a foreign clothing company were defrauded of HK$140.000 and HK$400.000, respectively.
“We would like to ask domestic workers' employers to remind their workers not to lend or sell their bank accounts easily. Helping friends or other people to handle money from unknown sources may violate the rules on money laundering,” said Tang Hoi-tung, the bureau's acting supervisor.
To raise awareness of foreign domestic workers, the police have designed posters in different languages to remind them not to easily sell their bank accounts to others, Tang said.
"The police will continue to work closely with various parties, including embassies and financial institutions to ensure the public is up-to-date on money laundering and how to commit crimes," he said. [DDHKNews]
