3 arrested in Hong Kong, mainland Chinese operation targeting money launderers
Authorities say suspects allegedly used pre-recorded footage to bypass facial recognition software used by stooge accounts
Hong Kong and mainland Chinese authorities have arrested three men in a cross-border operation targeting a money laundering syndicate that allegedly used pre-recorded footage to bypass digital bank accounts’ facial recognition software and laundered more than HK$270 million (US$34.7 million).
Chief Inspector Lo Yin-lam of Hong Kong police’s financial investigation bureau said on Thursday that the syndicate allegedly recruited members from the mainland to travel to the city and open accounts with online-based digital banks.
The operation involving Hong Kong and mainland police took place on Tuesday and Wednesday.
In the city, the joint effort led to the arrest of a 32-year-old local man believed to be a core member of the syndicate. He was found outside a hotel in North Point.
He is suspected of laundering HK$54 million using 16 accounts.
Police also found five phones in his hotel room, along with multiple selfie videos of other people, which officers believed were being used for “facial spoofing”.
The term refers to a method for deceiving facial recognition software by using images and videos to impersonate someone else.