Ten domestic helpers arrested in Hong Kong over bank accounts linked to money laundering and online scams
- Dozens of accounts involved in laundering scheme to clean money that had been swindled online
- Officers from Tuen Mun district detain 11 women in raids across city between last Wednesday and Monday this week
Ten domestic helpers and a Hong Kong resident have been arrested for receiving payment in return for opening bank accounts that were used to collect and launder millions in swindled cash.
Dozens of bank accounts were involved in the scheme and the funds were thought to have been tied to online fraud cases reported in the city and abroad, according to acting superintendent Ray Mo Siu-hei of Tuen Mun police district.
“Preliminary investigation showed millions of dollars had been laundered through these accounts and some of the money was transferred into Hong Kong from overseas,” Mo said.
He said a small amount of money was left behind in each account. “Most of the money was funnelled out within hours of the transfers,” he added.
A money-laundering syndicate behind the bank accounts was uncovered during an investigation into an online romance scam in which a local woman was duped out of HK$2 million (US$258,000) last year.
An internet scammer, disguised as an American-born Korean businessman, befriended the victim online in mid-2020. After intimate exchanges with the woman online, the suspect used various excuses to make her pay him money, police said.