Coronavirus: Hong Kong police target maker of fake ‘Leave Home Safe’ contact-tracing app as government suspends 3 employees over use
- Five held for questioning after trying to enter public premises using false ‘Leave Home Safe’ mobile application
- Police say fake version already removed from app stores
Hong Kong police pledged to track down the developer of a fake Covid-19 contact-tracing app on Tuesday, as three government employees were suspended after being arrested for using it to circumvent new entry rules for public premises.
Two Immigration Department officers and an Audit Commission staff member were among five people arrested on Monday over fake versions of the “Leave Home Safe” app on the day its use became mandatory for entering public buildings.
As of 5pm on Tuesday, the five suspects, aged 22 to 45, including two contractors working on site, were still being held for questioning, and none had been charged. A police source said the group was expected to be released on bail.
Senior Inspector Edwin Wong Cheung-chun of the Wan Chai district crime squad said the fake “Back Home Safe” app had been removed from app stores at the request of the cybersecurity and technology crime bureau before the arrests.
The Post was told the application was removed in February.
Officials said the Immigration Department employees and two contractor workers were accused of using the fake app in an attempt to enter the Immigration Tower in Wan Chai.