Police teaser reveals anti-mule account campaign video
HK01 · 2 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Hong Kong police first posted a social media teaser on September 29, showing Secretary for Justice Paul Lam and Commissioner of Police Joe Chow looking stern and hinting at a supposed falling-out between them. The force then released the full content on September 30, making clear that the “bad blood” angle was fictional and that the video was actually about combating money laundering and the illegal renting, lending and selling of bank accounts. Police said criminal syndicates often lure people with promises of small payments, quick cash or jobs requiring no experience, in order to obtain bank accounts or personal data.
Key Points
- In an Instagram-style story, police told followers to watch for new content on September 30 and teased that Lam and Chow appeared upset with each other.
- The teaser caption joked, in Cantonese, that they had just finished a festival and wondered whether they had “a grudge” instead.
- Background audio in the teaser quoted lyrics from the television drama theme song “No Heart to Harm You” from Heart of Greed: Moonlight Resonance.
- The full September 30 post said the apparent tension was fabricated, and the real message was to fight money laundering and account-rental scams.
- Police urged the public never to rent, lend or sell personal bank accounts, warning that doing so can turn account holders into “mule account” operators.
Why It Matters
The campaign targets a common fraud support network in Hong Kong, where ordinary residents may be tempted by easy-money offers and end up exposed to serious criminal liability. Police also stressed that courts have treated mule-account holders as no less culpable than those directly handling criminal proceeds, with money laundering carrying a maximum penalty of 14 years’ imprisonment and a HK$5 million fine.