3,018 arrested in joint cross-border clampdown on scamming: HKPF

HONG KONG -- A joint operation conducted by multiple countries and regions against cross-border scams and money laundering has seen 3,018 suspects arrested and $161 million in fraudulent funds intercepted, said the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) on Wednesday.

During the two-month operation, more than 3,200 law enforcement officers from China's Hong Kong and Macao, Brunei, Canada, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Maldives, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand had dissolved cross-border networks that orchestrated over 138,000 scams using baits like online shopping, job hunting and investment projects.

The scams cost victims a total of $752 million, according to the HKPF.

The HKPF alone arrested 870 suspects, aged between 13 and 83, who were involved in 742 cases, and intercepted HK$539 million (about $69 million) worth of stolen funds.

The operation also led to the freezing of over 100,000 bank accounts to prevent the flow of dirty money. The HKPF calls for further collaboration and information sharing between law enforcement agencies to combat the rising trend of money laundering through digital asset trading platforms.