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The firm that sells a cheap and easy way into Hong Kong residency is tucked away in a residential flat in Guangzhou, while its purported Hong Kong office  does not exist.
Posing as a potential client, a Sunday Morning Post reporter entered the flat in the Li Ying Hua Ting complex in Haizhu district  and was received by a Mr Cen.
Racks of  children's clothes shared the living room with  office desks. Mr Cen said his firm not only handled immigration applications but also dealt in apparel.
The company, Ji Xiang Ru Yi (Hong Kong) Ltd, was registered in Hong Kong with an office in a Wan Chai commercial building,  Mr Cen said. The selling point of the company's immigration service is that it claims to temporarily provide clients millions of dollars to secure proof of investment.
A business card provided by Mr Cen promotes 'a channel to exempt the HK$6.5 million in fixed assets' required to gain residency in Hong Kong. And it guarantees a full refund in case the application fails.
 Under Hong Kong's investment entrant scheme, the HK$6.5 million investment required from each applicant can go into either real estate or financial assets. 
Mr Cen said his firm can transfer money to a shell company in Hong Kong and obtain a receipt which purports that the money comes from the applicant. He  said the  firm's dealings should not  be made public.
 'It's not possible to openly advertise that we  help people get investment proof.  You know why and I know why.' 
An applicant must pay the firm  an initial 20,000 yuan (HK$22,700) to pay for an African passport, such as an Ethiopian one, as the first step.  
Mr Cen said  a contract could be signed with his firm that  guaranteed  the  money was refundable in case the application failed. The reporter was shown a draft contract with the terms of the refund.  
Mr Cen said the contract would be signed by the Hong Kong part of his company.  Once the application is completed another 80,000 yuan is handed over. 
The business card he offered bore the name of his female boss, Zeng Xiaojing, who he said was a Guangzhou resident. It also bore the company's Hong Kong address - a flat in Easey Commercial Building  in Wan Chai. Mr Cen even provided Ji Xiang Ru Yi's purported registration number in Hong Kong. But people working there  had never heard of Ji Xiang Ru Yi or  Ms Zeng.  The flat  is occupied by KCG & Co,  an accounting firm.
Company registration records show that there is no Hong Kongregistered firm called Ji Xiang Ru Yi (Hong Kong) Limited. The registration number provided by Mr Cen belongs to a company called Hong Kong Daiyan Registrations.
How the scam works
1 Text message arrives promoting cheap and easy way of immigrating
2 Person pays to Guangzhou firm to obtain African passport and signs contract with firm
3 Firm transfers HK$6.5 million of its own money to shell company in Hong Kong and
obtains receipt purporting to show money comes from applicant
4 Firm uses receipt as proof to apply for residence in Hong Kong for applicant
5 Applicant receives Hong Kong ID card
6 Applicant pays firm 80,000 yuan



Guangzhou firm offers short cut to HK residency for 100,000 yuan