First published: 30th September 2008
On 9th September, a District Court in Hong Kong convicted a 34-year-old man to 3 years jail for money laundering. The offender came to Hong Kong in 2007 and, using his real name, set up bank accounts in the names of three companies where he was sole Director. He then sent out classic Advanced Fee Fraud (AFF) emails, saying he needed assistance in transferring money left by a deceased foreigner. A male victim initially believed the story, and sent the various "administrative fees" requested, but later felt suspicious and contacted the Police.
The Fraud Division of the Commercial Crime Bureau in Hong Kong investigated and discovered that large sums of overseas remittances were conducted between March to October 2007 through the bank accounts. The offender was arrested in October last year and later charged with money laundering. He was convicted of three counts.
Police appealed to the members of the public to be cautious when they receive any unsolicited offers by means of promising rewards on payment of any advanced fee. The public is strongly advised not to respond to such offers and anyone who has come across such similar suspected fraud cases are advised to make a report to the Police.