CCB gets international backing for fighting lottery scam
Officers from Japan, USA, the UK and France have signed up to fight the lottery frauds targeting overseas Mandarin-speaking communities, after Commercial Crime Bureau (CCB) made a request for international co-operation in preventing such crime.
On November 10, CCB hosted a seminar to brief overseas law enforcement officers on the latest trend of lottery scam. Officiating at the seminar, CCB Chief Superintendent Cheung Kwai-kee stressed: "We want to engage overseas law enforcement agencies in a coordinated international crime prevention campaign."
The overseas officers were informed that 96 per cent of the victims who reported lottery scam to the Force were living abroad, and the majority of them are Mandarin-speaking. Detective Senior Inspector (DSIP) Mike Sharp told the audience: "We want help to reach the overseas Chinese communities in order to get our anti-crime advice across."
He said publicity in Hong Kong had been very effective, with coverage on Police Magazine, the Force's website and distribution of a leaflet and display of publicity banners at border crossing points. "The result has been a drop in the number of Hong Kong residents falling victim to the crime, but overseas Chinese remain vulnerable," DSIP Sharp noted.
Detective Chief Inspector (DCIP) Paul Bailey said CCB had already tried out the same approach in Australia through the Australian Federal Police (AFP). He added: "In June this year, we invited an Australian TV crew to come to Hong Kong to cover our crime prevention efforts. Subsequently a four-minute news feature was broadcast on TV in Australia in the summer and the same advice was given on radio in the Chinese language."
On the effectiveness of this publicity drive, AFP Superintendent Matt Rippon commented: "The feedback we have had is that the Chinese communities in Australia are now more aware of this scam and hopefully this will reduce losses and they will come forward and report cases."
On CCB's next step of action, DCIP Bailey said: "We would like to pass the same message to the Chinese communities in Singapore and Malaysia as they have the largest share of victims."
CCB is also planning to reach more overseas law enforcement agencies and the next seminar is likely to cater for Canadian and German police officers.
Detective
Senior
Inspector Mike Sharp gives a briefing on CCB's efforts to tackle
lottery scam