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12 arrested in HK phishing scam

Six charged with theft

A dozen people have been arrested in Hong Kong in connection with a banking phishing scam. Six of the suspects, including a Russian man, have been charged with theft amid allegations that they hoodwinked HK$600,000 (£47,000) in an internet banking scam. If found guilty, the suspects face up to ten years in jail.

According to AP, 12 HK-based customers of HSBC bank fell for the phishing bait and handed out their personal details after receiving a fake email.

These emails pose as a "security check" emails from well-known banks and attempt to trick users into handing over their account details and passwords. These private details are used to engineer fraudulent transfers of cash.

Last week four eastern Europeans appeared in a London court charged with defrauding online banks of hundreds of thousands through an elaborate phishing scam.

The two men and two women from Russia, Estonia and Ukraine are allegedly leading members of a gang that siphoned cash from ebanking accounts after conning consumers into handing over confidential banking details. ®

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