Hong Kong people have been tricked into "selling piglets" to Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and other Southeast Asian countries for extortion and extortion. The police have received a total of 36 requests for help, of which 22 are believed to be still imprisoned locally.
The police arrested 5 men and women in Hong Kong on suspicion of defrauding the victims to Southeast Asia through high-paying, low-demand "bamboo workers" and online romance, becoming a "cash cow" for a fraudulent syndicate.
Three men and two women (aged 17 to 51) were arrested. The police believe they belong to the same group. Two men (aged 23 and 30) are the backbone members. They mainly control their subordinates to recruit victims.
After an in-depth investigation, the police arrested three men and two women on charges of "conspiracy to defraud" between the 19th and 21st of this month.
He Zhendong said that 22 Hong Kong people are believed to be still imprisoned there.
(Photo by Cai Zhengbang)
Ho Chun-tung, senior superintendent of the Organised Crime and Triad Investigation Bureau, commonly known as "O", quoted figures as saying that the number of requests for assistance had increased to 36, including 32 men and 4 women, aged between 19 and 57, of whom 14 People are safe and free, 11 people have returned to Hong Kong, and 3 people have not returned to Hong Kong according to their wishes.
Twenty-two people are suspected of being imprisoned in Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and other places, 13 people have been contacted and confirmed to be safe, and 9 people have not been contacted.
Of the 36 cases, only one involved online romance scams, while the rest involved job-seeking scams.
Ho said that the Hong Kong government will continue to contact Interpol and local law enforcement agencies to bring the victims back to Hong Kong as soon as possible.
It is reported that the method of this "online love" scam is that the victim is tricked into meeting with the other party in a Southeast Asian country, and he is imprisoned upon arrival. The solicitation is baited by high-paying, low-demand "bamboo workers". After the victims believe it, their passports will be confiscated when they go to the local area, and they will be transferred to the fraud center, forcing them to assist in the fraud.
If the victim refuses, or fails to complete the deceptive goal, he may be beaten.
In addition, the Immigration Department set up a Whatsapp helpline yesterday (20th): (852) 51908909. As of this morning (21st), the relevant hotline has received 84 calls and 52 text messages for assistance. After verification, it is believed that 4 of them are For the deception case involving 2 new victims, the task force has actively launched investigations to ensure the personal safety of the victims.
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