Three men arrested for scamming 21 people out of HK$260,000 with fake sales of tickets, gambling tips and flowers
Trio offered items at low prices on social media but never delivered after victims paid up
Three men, two of them brothers, have been arrested on suspicion of cheating 21 people by selling – but never delivering – a range of items online, including soccer gambling tips, concert tickets and furniture.
Over three months, police received complaints from the victims, aged 21 to 50, who forked out a total of HK$260,000 for tickets to Taiwanese singer Jay Chou’s concert in the city last month, admission tickets to Ocean Park, used furniture and flowers for Valentine’s Day, sold at lower-than-usual prices on social networking platforms.
In one case, a victim in Taiwan paid HK$220,000 for soccer gambling tips. The victim came to the city and approached police for help.
On Monday night, the trio – a clerk, a transportation worker and a kitchen helper, aged 21 to 23 – were arrested for obtaining property by deception and money laundering in two flats in Kwai Shing East Estate in Kwai Chung.
Officers took away computers, mobile phones and bank documents.
A Yau Tsim district investigation team and the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau were on the case.
