The Judiciary Police (PJ) announced yesterday that a 17-year-old male from the Chinese mainland has been arrested for using prop* HK dollar banknotes to defraud a male gambler out of 87,000 yuan (equivalent to about 103,000 patacas) under the guise of money exchange.
The police said that after making a money transfer to an account, the victim realised something was amiss and, with the help of hotel security guards, intercepted the suspect, surnamed Fang, as he attempted to flee. The police arrived at the scene, arrested the teenager, and yesterday were still trying to track down his at-large accomplices.
PJ spokesman Cheong Un Hong announced the case’s details during a special press conference yesterday.
On Sunday afternoon, the victim needed cash in HK dollars so he used a social media app to contact an individual claiming to offer currency exchange services. The two parties agreed to exchange 87,000 yuan for HK$100,000 in cash and arranged to meet for the transaction at a hotel food court in Cotai.
Upon arrival at the hotel food court, Fang quickly pulled out two stacks of “HK$1,000 banknotes” (actually prop banknotes) from his trouser pocket, totalling 200 notes. During the transaction, Fang refused to let the victim verify the banknotes on the spot, using the excuse that he “needed to confirm the bank transfer had been cleared first”, and demanded that the victim transfer the money beforehand. Unaware of the deception, the victim transferred 87,000 yuan to a mainland account specified by Fang.
Once Fang confirmed receipt of the transfer, he immediately attempted to flee. Sensing that something was wrong, the victim instantly called for assistance from hotel security. Security guards moved swiftly to catch Fang.
PJ officers seized the two stacks of prop banknotes from Fang, which consisted of 200 counterfeit HK$1,000 notes. An examination revealed that the entire batch of counterfeit notes bore identical serial numbers. The texture of the paper, print colours, ink lustre, and feel were completely inconsistent with genuine banknotes. They lacked any security features such as watermarks, security threads, colour-shifting ink, or intaglio printing, and were clearly printed with the word “PROP”, indicating that they were low-quality prop money.
The police confirmed that Fang was not carrying any genuine HK dollar banknotes or other cash. They also seized a smartphone from Fang.
Under questioning, Fang admitted that “someone” promised to give him a reward of 10,000 yuan if he succeeded to defraud gamblers with the prop banknotes.
The police believe that other accomplices involved in the case remain at large.
Fang has been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), facing a fraud charge.
*Prop banknotes (also referred to as prop money, stage money, or motion picture play money) are non-legal tender replicas of paper currency designed specifically for use in film, television, theatre, commercials, and other entertainment media. While they look authentic on camera or from a distance, they are legally required to carry distinct physical and visual differences from real currency to prevent counterfeiting and fraud. – Gemini
The 200 prop HK dollar banknotes and the smartphone seized from the suspect are displayed at the pressroom of the PJ headquarters yesterday. – Photo: PJ
