Hong Kong police arrest 15 for illicit transactions and data theft involving government consumption e-vouchers
- Some allegedly offered cash in exchange for vouchers, albeit at a lower price to pocket the difference
- Others stole personal data to register payment accounts to receive the handout, worth HK$10,000 for each eligible resident this year
Police have arrested 15 people for illegal activities involving digital consumption vouchers issued by the Hong Kong government.
The 11 men and four women, aged between 20 and 66, were arrested for deception, fraud or theft at different junctures since July 2021, when the government first disbursed vouchers amounting to HK$5,000 to eligible residents under the Consumption Voucher Scheme.
Four of them were recently accused of attempting to offer cash in exchange for the vouchers, but at a lower amount than they were worth.
Police’s commercial crime bureau on Tuesday said one suspect offered to buy HK$1,500 worth of e-vouchers issued last week at a lower price to make a profit on the difference. Another three suspects made similar offers to potential customers, but their attempts were foiled by undercover officers.
The remaining 11 individuals were said to have stolen personal data of others to register payment accounts to receive the handout last year. Each of them pocketed between HK$2,000 and HK$5,000.
“We did not find any syndicates behind such crimes. Investigations are still ongoing and we don’t rule out more arrests to follow,” said superintendent Fanny Kung Hing-fun of the bureau.
Some 6.3 million residents received the first half of e-vouchers worth HK$10,000 last Thursday. The vouchers, worth a total HK$66.4 billion, is double the amount given in last year’s handout.
Those who had signed up for last year’s scheme will directly receive HK$5,000 through electronic payment platforms including Octopus, AlipayHK, WeChat Pay HK and Tap&Go this year. The amount can be used in restaurants and shops to purchase fresh groceries or anti-epidemic supplies, or for public transport.
Police warned the public that any residents and shop owners involved in such transactions could be arrested for fraud, and reminded residents that e-vouchers were intended for spending at shops in Hong Kong only.
All of the 15 arrested had been released on bail pending further investigation.
Police have so far received 142 reports from residents claiming their personal data had been stolen for the purpose of registering a payment account, while another 239 people claimed financial loss as they did not receive the handouts after submitting wrong particulars.
Officers also received reports of another five cases related to the e-vouchers being transacted for cash. An estimated HK$1.6 million is related to the 386 reports.
The digital consumption vouchers, a total of HK$10,000 disbursed in two batches to residents, are part of a latest initiative by the government. It is designed to boost spending and support the embattled economy during the coronavirus pandemic.
The previous round of e-vouchers in 2021 cost the government about HK$36 billion, and helped lift the city’s economic growth rate by at least 0.7 percent.
