Beautician’s Myanmar scam-park case delayed to October
HK01 · 3 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago4 MIN
Summary
A 33-year-old beautician who admitted fraud over a scheme that lured two women to Thailand, where they were later taken to a scam compound in Myanmar, was not sentenced as scheduled on September 29 in the District Court. Judge Josiah Sham Shum-chiu rejected the defence argument that the case did not involve intimidation and adjourned sentencing to October 27 for further consideration.
Key Points
- Defendant Poon Sum-yee (潘心怡), 33, a beautician, pleaded guilty to one count of fraud over conduct between November 2024 and January 11, 2025 in Hong Kong.
- The two victims, aged 24 and 21, were offered free travel to Japan and Canada, then told on December 27, 2024 to fly to Thailand that night.
- After arrival, they were collected by a Thai man, later disarmed of passports and phones by armed men, ferried across a river, and taken into Myanmar.
- At the compound, they were told they had each been sold for US$27,000 and could leave only by paying US$500,000 or meeting equivalent scam targets.
- Family members later paid about HK$258,000 plus RMB100,000 for one victim and about HK$212,000 for the other before both returned to Hong Kong on January 11, 2025.
Why It Matters
The sentencing hearing will be a closely watched local case on cross-border deception that began in Hong Kong but ended in trafficking to a Myanmar scam compound. The judge’s remarks indicate the court is weighing not only the initial fraud, but also the coercive circumstances the victims faced after leaving Hong Kong.