15 Arrested Over Hong Kong Insurance Exam Cheating Ring
On.cc · 9 SOURCES40 minutes ago2 MIN
Summary
Hong Kong police and the Insurance Authority said they have dismantled an alleged criminal syndicate that helped candidates cheat in the Fellow, Life Management Institute, or FLMI, qualification examination used for insurance intermediary licensing. A total of 15 people, aged 22 to 70, were arrested in a joint operation on 27 August, including 11 suspected syndicate members and four candidates caught at the examination venue. Investigators said the operation targeted an authorised examination centre in Kwun Tong run by the Greater China Self Media Association, and that the cheating operation had been running for about a year and a half. The Insurance Authority has immediately suspended recognition of FLMI as meeting the academic requirement for licence applications and will scrutinise all cases in which the qualification was obtained through the centre.
Key Points
- Police said the Commercial Crime Bureau received an Insurance Authority referral in January after a complaint made in October last year alleged cheating at an authorised LOMA education institution.
- Investigators said a group formed by three local companies controlled the Kwun Tong venue, marketing “intensive study classes” and “guaranteed passes” as a one-stop service.
- Candidates allegedly paid the public examination fee of HK$20,000 and an extra HK$14,000 to the group for enrolment handling, venue arrangements and cheating assistance.
- On exam day, invigilators allegedly installed remote-control software on candidates’ computers while another computer was used in the background to answer questions for them.
- Officers searched nine locations and seized computers, examination records, financial documents and communication devices; among those arrested were three current and three former licensed insurance intermediaries.
Why It Matters
The case could affect licence holders and applicants who obtained FLMI through the centre, because the Insurance Authority said it will closely review those files and investigate licence status where problems are found. The regulator also said FLMI-based applications account for only a very small share of Hong Kong’s more than 120,000 insurance intermediaries, so the suspension is not expected to disrupt the wider market.