Beware of con men posing as anti-graft officers, urges ICAC
2009-11-29
Members of the public are urged to watch out for fraudsters who orchestrated scams and stopped the victims from reporting to the authorities by claiming that the cases were under ICAC investigation.
In some cases, victims were even duped into paying bail money for their friends said to be under ICAC probe.
“The ICAC received over 20 complaints in the past 12 months whereby victims were defrauded of money to the tune of HK$3.6 million by fraudsters, some of whom claimed to be ICAC officers,” an ICAC spokesman said.
“The ICAC is gravely concerned that some criminals have tried to make use of the public’s trust in the Commission for illicit undertakings. People must be vigilant against such scams,” the spokesman added.
To enhance public’s vigilance, the ICAC has produced a video clip that depicts the common modus operandi employed by such fraudsters. The video, in both Cantonese and Putonghua, has been uploaded on the “Zooming-in” programme of the Commission’s I-Channel ( www.icac.org.hk ).
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ICAC inquiries revealed that in some cases, fraudsters posed as salesmen of travel agencies and invited the victims to participate in lucky draws.
The victims were then asked to pay various fees, including handling fees, bank charges or even tax to redeem the big prizes they won.
To prevent the victims from reporting to the authorities, the fraudsters further claimed that illegal activities were involved in the lucky draw and the victims were amongst the suspects subject to investigation by the ICAC.
Other cases involved internet scams whereby the victims were conned into paying tens of thousands dollars to their internet friends for betting.
The fraudsters then posed as ICAC officers, claiming that their friends were arrested for illegal betting and asked them to pay “bail money” for the release of their friends.
ICAC Senior Investigator Lily Chung Ling-ling revealed that victims in these cases resided either overseas or on the Mainland who might have little knowledge about the operation of Hong Kong’s law enforcement agencies including the ICAC.
Ms Chung urged people to report to local law enforcement agencies when they came across any suspected scams and advised them not to make any payment.
“When approached by someone who claims to be an ICAC officer, people can call the ICAC’s 24-hour Report Hotline (852) 25 266 366 to make enquiries,” Ms Chung said.
Ms Chung also warned that it is a criminal offence to impersonate as an ICAC officer under the Independent Commission Against Corruption Ordinance. The maximum penalty is one year’s imprisonment and a fine of $20,000.
In some cases, victims were even duped into paying bail money for their friends said to be under ICAC probe.
“The ICAC received over 20 complaints in the past 12 months whereby victims were defrauded of money to the tune of HK$3.6 million by fraudsters, some of whom claimed to be ICAC officers,” an ICAC spokesman said.
“The ICAC is gravely concerned that some criminals have tried to make use of the public’s trust in the Commission for illicit undertakings. People must be vigilant against such scams,” the spokesman added.
To enhance public’s vigilance, the ICAC has produced a video clip that depicts the common modus operandi employed by such fraudsters. The video, in both Cantonese and Putonghua, has been uploaded on the “Zooming-in” programme of the Commission’s I-Channel ( www.icac.org.hk ).
.
ICAC inquiries revealed that in some cases, fraudsters posed as salesmen of travel agencies and invited the victims to participate in lucky draws.
The victims were then asked to pay various fees, including handling fees, bank charges or even tax to redeem the big prizes they won.
To prevent the victims from reporting to the authorities, the fraudsters further claimed that illegal activities were involved in the lucky draw and the victims were amongst the suspects subject to investigation by the ICAC.
Other cases involved internet scams whereby the victims were conned into paying tens of thousands dollars to their internet friends for betting.
The fraudsters then posed as ICAC officers, claiming that their friends were arrested for illegal betting and asked them to pay “bail money” for the release of their friends.
ICAC Senior Investigator Lily Chung Ling-ling revealed that victims in these cases resided either overseas or on the Mainland who might have little knowledge about the operation of Hong Kong’s law enforcement agencies including the ICAC.
Ms Chung urged people to report to local law enforcement agencies when they came across any suspected scams and advised them not to make any payment.
“When approached by someone who claims to be an ICAC officer, people can call the ICAC’s 24-hour Report Hotline (852) 25 266 366 to make enquiries,” Ms Chung said.
Ms Chung also warned that it is a criminal offence to impersonate as an ICAC officer under the Independent Commission Against Corruption Ordinance. The maximum penalty is one year’s imprisonment and a fine of $20,000.