Counterfeit credit card fraudster jailed

A 25-year-old man was sentenced at the District Court today (March 15) to five years' imprisonment for two counts of using a false instrument, two counts of possessing a false instrument and one count of possessing equipment for making a false instrument.

The court heard that officers of the Commercial Crime Bureau (CCB) mounted an intelligence-based operation in Cheung Sha Wan on September 22, 2005. Officers raided a residential unit in Camp Street and arrested the 25-year-old man following the seizure of 27 counterfeit credit cards, 304 sets of credit card account numbers and equipment for making counterfeit credit cards.

He was arrested and later charged by Police on September 24, 2005 with one count of possessing a false instrument and one count of possessing equipment for making a false instrument.

Upon further enquiries, the 25-year-old man was found to have been arrested earlier in a computer shop in On Ting Estate, Tuen Mun on May 9, 2005 after three counterfeit credit cards were found on him. The man was on police bail when he was arrested on September 22, 2005.

The man was later charged with another two counts of using a false instrument and one count of possessing a false instrument on September 26, 2005.

It was confirmed that 79 out of the 304 sets of credit card account numbers seized on September 22, 2005 had been fraudulently used in Hong Kong and overseas involving a loss of $0.78 million. It is estimated that the operation has prevented a potential loss of $6.7 million for the credit card industries.

The man pleaded guilty to the five charges at the District Court and the sentence was handed down today (March 15).


Police Report No.10

Issued by PPRB

End/Wednesday, March 15, 2006