Hong Kong police arrest 69 over laundering HK$200m from cross-border fraud

Hong Kong police have arrested 69 people linked to a syndicate suspected of laundering about HK$200 million (US$25.5 million) from cross-border investment fraud affecting more than 170 victims.

The force said on Tuesday that 54 men and 15 women, aged between 18 and 60, were arrested on Monday in a joint operation with mainland Chinese authorities for alleged money laundering, involving “mule” bank accounts.

Losses from investment scams in Hong Kong reached HK$920 million between January and March – a 17 per cent year-on-year increase – said Senior Inspector Yip Kai-ming of the Anti-Deception Coordination Centre under the force’s commercial crime bureau, adding that the situation “warrants more attention”.

“A new online friend suddenly encouraging you to invest is a red flag for a scam,” Yip said.

Police cited a case in May involving an online romance-investment scam, in which a mainland resident was persuaded to download an investment app and invest in cryptocurrency, gold and other assets, with promises of high returns.

The scammers initially paid out about HK$970,000 in fake investment returns, leading the victim to believe the scheme was genuine.