XN000022-1993-02-03 — Page 31

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1993

29

HK-BASED FORGED CREDIT CARD SYNDICATE SHATTERED

GLOBAL CO-OPERATION AMONG LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES HAS LED TO THE SHATTERING OF AN ALLEGED HONG KONG-BASED CREDIT CARD COUNTERFEITING SYNDICATE IN A SERIES OF RAIDS MOUNTED SIMULTANEOUSLY IN HONG KONG, THE UNITED STATES, THAILAND AND MACAU (FEBRUARY 2 LOCAL TIME) EVENING.

SINCE TUESDAY

SUSPECTS IN CARDS WHICH

POLICE OFFICERS HAVE SO FAR ARRESTED MORE THAN 20 THE WORLDWIDE HUNT AND SEIZED OVER 600 FORGED CREDIT COULD RESULT IN A POTENTIAL LOSS OF AT LEAST U.8.$6 MILLION.

POLICE INVESTIGATIONS HAVE REVEALED THAT THE ALLEGED SYNDICATE, WHICH WAS KNOWN TO HAVE UTS MAIN OPERATION AREAS IN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES BETWEEN 1990 AND 1992, HAS MOVED TO THE U.S. SINCE MID-1992.

GIVEN THE SPRAWLING OPERATING AREAS OF THE ALLEGED SYNICATE, THE COMMERCIAL CRIME BUREAU (CCB) OF THE ROYAL HONG KONG POLICE HAD CALLED FOR AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE BETWEEN JANUARY 28 AND 29.

THE CONFERENCE WAS PARTICIPATED BY POLICE OFFICERS FROM ALL

HOLLAND AS WELL AS THE U.S SECRET SERVICE. INDEPENDENT COMMISSION AGAINST CORRUPTION (ICAC) REPRESENTATIVES ALSO ATTENDED THE CONFERENCE.

AFFECTED COUNTRIES INCLUDING THAILAND, ('ANADA, AUSTRALIA, GERMANY,

+

THE WORLDWIDE CONCERTED EFFORTS AGAINST THE ALLEGED SYNDICATE ORIGINATED FROM A CCH INVESTIGATION SINCE MAY 1992.

CCB INVESTIGATIONS REVEALED THAT THE ALLEGED SYNDICATE WAS EXTREMELY ACTIVE AND ACCOUNTED FOR A SIZABLE PORTION OF TOTAL WORLDWIDE LOSSES DUF FO THE USE OF COUNTERFEIT CREDIT CARDS.

BY NOVEMBER 1992, MOST OF THE ALLEGED SYNDICATE MEMBERS WERE IDENTIFIED BY CCB, TWO COB AND TWO ICAC OFFICERS WERE THEN DISPATCHED TO LOS ANGELES TO ASSIST IN THE US OPERATION.

FLORIDA POLICE ARRESTED THE ALLEGED SYNDICATE HEAD, A CHINESE MAN IN HIS 30'S, IN A SHOPPING MALL IN FLORIDA ON JANUARY 29 AND A SEARCH OF THE IR HIRED CAR UNCOVERED 60 CREDIT CARDS ACCOUNTS INFORMATION. THESE ACCOUNTS WERE FOUND TO HAVE LOST U.S.$416,000 IN FRADULENT TRANSACTIONS IN THE EAST COAST IN THE PRECEDING NINE DAYS.

CLUES LED TO FURTHER SEARCHES OF THREE HOTEL ROOMS AND ONE HOTEL SAFE DEPOSIT BOX IN FLORIDA. OVER 250 COUNTERFEIT CARDS, 15 FORGED PASSPORTS AND A NUMBER OF FALSE US DRIVING LICENCES AS WELL AS A QUANTITY OF ACCOUNT INFORMATION AND DOCUMENTS WERE SEIZED.

CO-ORDINATED, WORLDWIDE RAIDS AGAINST THE SYNDICATE WERE THEN FIXED FOR TUESDAY DURING WHICH FURTHER ARRESTS WERE MADE IN LOS ANGELES AND A LARGE QUANTITY OF MERCHANDISE PLUS U.S.$20, 000 IN WERE SEIZED.

IN HONG KONG, CCB OFFICERS RAIDED 63 LOCATIONS WHILE OFFICERS ALSO STORMED ANOTHER THREE ADDRESSES. ABOUT 10 SUSPECTS ARRESTED SUBSEQUENTLY, INCLUDING TWO WANTED PERSONS.

CASH

ICAC

WERE

/DURING THE