Burst
Written by: Deng Yongzhong
2021-06-29 15:42
Last update date: 2021-06-29 15:42
The police found that criminals posted job advertisements to trick victims into shopping on online shopping platforms and through fake phone programs to increase sales of online sellers. They promised to return the principal and provide 5% to 12% commission in return. But the scammer lost contact after the victim made a purchase.
Since January this year, the group has committed more than 430 online job hunting scams in Hong Kong and Singapore, involving a total of approximately HK$30 million.
The victims in the case included students, housewives, and unemployed persons. The victim who suffered the biggest loss of 950,000 yuan was a female nurse. Most of the victims helped the group "check orders" more than 20 times to purchase designated home appliances, clothing and other items. .
After investigations by the police and Singapore law enforcement agencies, a joint operation codenamed "Baiquan" was carried out between May and June this year in order to be suspected of "conspiracy to defraud" and "handling known or believed to be representative of indictable crimes." A total of 41 people were arrested, ranging in age from 22 to 53 years old.
According to the police, criminals were found to have posted job advertisements to trick victims into making purchases on online shopping platforms and using fake phone programs to increase the sales of online sellers.
(Photo by Deng Yongzhong)
New Territories North Regional Criminal Headquarters Superintendent Zhang Wenjun pointed out that due to the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, Hong Kong's economy has been hit and the unemployment rate is on the rise. Some scammers defrauded job seekers for quick money mentality.
Last year, the police recorded 236 online job-hunting scams, a sharp increase of more than 2.5 times compared to 66 in 2019.
From January to May this year, the police recorded 255 online job hunting scams, an increase of more than four times from 46 in the same period last year.
The Criminal Headquarters of the New Territories North Region and the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Investigation Division have targeted an online fraud group active in Hong Kong and Singapore.
Since January this year, the group has committed more than 430 online job hunting scams in Hong Kong and Singapore, involving a total of close to 30 million Hong Kong dollars.
The Hong Kong police and the Singapore police force exchanged intelligence and launched a joint arrest operation in June this year. A total of 41 syndicate members, including two masterminds, were arrested. The arrested persons ranged from 16 to 53 years old.
Instruct the victim to "swipe the order" on the online shopping platform and lose contact with the fraudster
Senior Inspector Fung Chun-tat, head of the New Territories North Region Crime Squad, said that the police discovered that the fraud group had posted job advertisements on different social platforms to attract victims in the name of quick money.
The scammer will instruct the victim to "swipe orders" on the online shopping platform, that is, increase the seller's sales record through shopping.
The scammer will instruct the victim to download the fraudulent phone program and swipe the order by "grab the order", and promise to return all the principal after the transaction, and provide 5% to 12% of the commission to the victim in return.
Second, the scammer asked the victim not to make direct payments on the online shopping platform, but to deposit the relevant funds directly into a bank, a virtual bank, or a stored-value payment account controlled by the fraud group.
After the victim remits the money, the scammer loses contact and the victim will not receive any money.
The Criminal Division of the New Territories North Region and the Cybercrime Division launched an arrest operation across Hong Kong from June 16 to 25 this year, arresting 12 men and 2 women, including two foreigners, for "conspiracy to defraud" and "money laundering". For borrowers, they are between 22 and 53 years old.
The arrested persons were suspected of committing 134 job-hunting fraud cases of the same type in Hong Kong from January this year to June this year, involving money ranging from 1,500 yuan to 950,000 yuan, defrauding a total of about 9.13 million Hong Kong dollars. The police believe that two of them were arrested. The man is the mastermind of the group.
During the operation, 3 computers, 14 mobile phones and 18 bank cards were seized.
The 14 arrested persons played different roles in the group, including 12 people who lent their personal bank accounts and assisted the group in exchange for remuneration.
As for the two masterminds who did not have direct contact with the victim, they mainly operated behind the scenes and waited for the members to collect the fraudulent money, and then used online banking and cash to send the money.
According to the police, all the arrested persons are currently on bail pending further investigations, and the police operation is still in progress. It is not ruled out that another arrest will be made.
Superintendent Zhang Tianle of the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Investigation Division pointed out that during the investigation by the local police, it was discovered that related deception tactics were rampant in Singapore.
Beginning in May this year, the Singapore police recorded more than 300 similar online job hunting scams, involving losses of about 3.3 million Singapore dollars (approximately 19 million Hong Kong dollars). The local scam group also required the victims to download the scam phone program and then "Snatch orders" form to swipe orders.
According to police investigations in the two places, the phone programs for fraudsters in the two places are the same, and the social platforms where job advertisements are posted are also the same. It does not rule out that the cases in both places are controlled by the same group.
After that, the Singapore police also targeted the members of the scam group and arrested 23 men and 4 women (aged between 16 and 53). They believed that they were mainly responsible for handling the transfer and withdrawal of criminal proceeds, or selling personal accounts for group manipulation.
Police: Scammers defraud job seekers with an anxious "earning extra" mentality
Chief Inspector Zhang Weihao of the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Investigation Bureau pointed out that in recent years, many scammers have defrauded job seekers with an anxious "make extra money" mentality, causing victims to fall into scams.
Fraudsters will also use different excuses to induce victims to deposit money directly into banks, virtual banks, or stored-value instruments controlled by the fraudsters.
Police urge members of the public to pay attention to the crime tactics and not to fall into the trap of scams because of eagerness to ask for money.
The police continued that job-seekers should pay attention to the background and business of the organization when searching for jobs. Some scammers will ask the victim to install a phone program of unknown origin, which may cause the victim's personal data to be stolen.
The police reiterated that any person who commits the offence of "conspiracy to defraud" or "handling of property known or believed to represent the proceeds of an indictable crime" under Article 25 of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance is subject to a maximum penalty of 14 years' imprisonment , The police urged everyone not to try the law.
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