17 arrested, HK$3.67m seized in crackdown on scam group using Malaysian ‘runners’
Hong Kong police have arrested 17 people and seized HK$3.67 million in a crackdown on a fraud syndicate that recruited foreign “runners” from Malaysia to collect crime proceeds from victims. The force’s Kowloon West crime squad said on Sunday that the arrests were made in connection with “guess who I am” phone scams that duped 22 victims out of about HK$2.5 million between June and August. The…
Hong Kong police have made 17 arrests and seized HK$3.67 million in an operation targeting a fraud ring that exploited Malaysian "runners" to collect proceeds from "guess who I am" phone scams. The Kowloon West crime squad arrested 12 Malaysian men, aged between 20 and 48, suspected of conspiracy to defraud between June and August.
These criminals allegedly recruited local "runners" to collect the cash directly from victims and transport it to three predetermined locations. The syndicate allegedly targeted 22 victims, defrauding 22 victims of about HK$2.5 million. The largest loss recorded was HK$700,000. Police recovered all HK$200,000 of one victim's defrauded funds.
The remaining five suspects were arrested on Friday following police raids on a cryptocurrency exchange center and two currency changers in Mong Kok. Authorities have warned the public to verify any unexpected calls purporting to be from relatives needing money and for remittance companies to remain vigilant against suspicious transfers.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
