Alleged swindler arrested over false claim of senior government official
2002-10-11
The ICAC yesterday arrested a man for allegedly swindling over $600,000 from a woman by falsely representing that he was a senior government official and persuading her to invest in a property to which he claimed he was entitled under a new government hou sing programme.
The case arose from a corruption complaint, alleging that a man who claimed to be a senior officer of the Labour Department had accepted unauthorised loans.
ICAC investigations confirmed that the suspect was not a government officer, and revealed a fraudulent scheme allegedly engineered by the suspect to deceive a woman of money.
It was alleged that the suspect, falsely claiming himself as the Deputy Commissioner for Labour, told the woman that he was entitled to purchase two flats under a new government housing programme. He asked the woman to pay a down-payment for one of the f lats he reserved for her.
Believing that the suspect was a senior government servant, the woman allegedly paid him about $310,000 as the down-payment.
Enquiries also alleged that the suspect had falsely represented to the woman that his brother was a senior staff of the then Urban Council, and could assist in securing a market stall in Sheung Wan.
The suspect allegedly obtained from the woman over $60,000, which he claimed was fee required by the government for the application of the stall.
It was believed that the suspect had also swindled a total of $230,000 from the woman under various pretexts.
The arrestee has been released on ICAC bail. Enquiries are continuing.
The case arose from a corruption complaint, alleging that a man who claimed to be a senior officer of the Labour Department had accepted unauthorised loans.
ICAC investigations confirmed that the suspect was not a government officer, and revealed a fraudulent scheme allegedly engineered by the suspect to deceive a woman of money.
It was alleged that the suspect, falsely claiming himself as the Deputy Commissioner for Labour, told the woman that he was entitled to purchase two flats under a new government housing programme. He asked the woman to pay a down-payment for one of the f lats he reserved for her.
Believing that the suspect was a senior government servant, the woman allegedly paid him about $310,000 as the down-payment.
Enquiries also alleged that the suspect had falsely represented to the woman that his brother was a senior staff of the then Urban Council, and could assist in securing a market stall in Sheung Wan.
The suspect allegedly obtained from the woman over $60,000, which he claimed was fee required by the government for the application of the stall.
It was believed that the suspect had also swindled a total of $230,000 from the woman under various pretexts.
The arrestee has been released on ICAC bail. Enquiries are continuing.