The Public Security Police (PSP) nabbed three “blue card” fraud suspects on Tuesday, PSP spokesman Wong Wai Chon said in a regular press conference yesterday.
Non-resident workers’ ID cards are colloquially known as “blue cards”.
Wong identified the suspects as a 50-year-old female mainlander surnamed Zhou, a 30-year-old female local resident surnamed Wu, who said that she is a housewife, and a male local resident surnamed Leong who told the police that he was working at a hotel. Zhou is Wu’s stepmother, Wong said.
According to Wong, Zhou was hired by Leong in February 2024 as a “domestic helper” so that she could obtain a “blue card”. During a renewal verification process, PSP officers discovered that Zhou was unclear about the work details she had declared when questioned about her job by a police officer, Wong said, adding that a follow-up investigation revealed that her employment relationship was fictitious.
When questioned later the same day, according to Wong, Zhou, Wu and Leong admitted that there had never been an actual employment relationship between Zhou and Leong. After obtaining her “blue card”, Zhou was in fact looking after the child of her stepdaughter, Wu, Wong said.
Due to financial constraints, Wong said, Wu was unable to formally hire a non-resident worker (NRW) and therefore sought the assistance of her friend, Leong, to secure a work permit for her stepmother, Zhou, through a fictitious job arrangement. All three claimed that no money changed hands concerning the bogus employment scheme, Wong said.
The trio have been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), facing fake employment charges, according to Wong.
This handout photo provided by the Public Security Police (PSP) yesterday shows the trio being escorted by PSP officers to a police station on Tuesday.
