A man from the Chinese mainland was apprehended on Tuesday for defrauding a male gambler out of HK$500,000 (515,000 patacas) in an illegal currency exchange deal, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Cheong Kim Fong said during a regular press conference yesterday.
Cheong identified the suspect as a 39-year-old male surnamed Wang who claimed to be jobless.
According to Cheong, the victim was alone in a smoking lounge of a casino in Cotai on Sunday when Wang approached and offered him a currency exchange deal. The victim was indeed looking to convert chips worth HK$50,000, which he had won at the casino, into yuan for transfer back to his mainland bank account. The victim agreed to hand over the chips to Wang, after the latter promised to transfer 46,000 yuan into the victim’s mainland bank account.
Cheong noted that the victim showed Wang a QR code for online payment on his phone. Wang then scanned the code and quickly presented the victim with a forged “transfer record”. Believing it to be genuine, the victim handed over the chips worth HK$50,000 to Wang. After acquiring the chips, Wang hurriedly left the scene, raising the victim’s suspicions. Upon checking his banking transaction records on his phone, the victim discovered that no funds had been received. Realising that he had been scammed, the victim immediately reported the case to the police.
The police identified Wang as the suspect and apprehended him in a casino in Cotai on Tuesday. The police seized a smartphone from Wang. Under questioning, Wang refused to cooperate.
Wang has been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), facing a fraud charge.
Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Cheong Kim Fong looks on during yesterday’s regular press conference. – Photo: Ada Lei
