Mainland siblings suspected of counterfeit chip fraud

A brother and sister from the mainland are under investigation for allegedly using counterfeit casino chips to commit fraud at a Cotai casino, resulting in losses of over HKD150,000.

According to the Judiciary Police (PJ), a Cotai casino received suspected fake chips three times on the same day, leading to a reported loss of HKD100,000. Another victim in the case claimed a loss of HKD50,000.

After identification, the three counterfeit chips with a face value of HKD50,000 were found to have the same characteristics as the counterfeit chips in previously uncovered cases.

On Tuesday, a casino staff member discovered a suspected fake HKD50,000 chip during a routine count.

Two more fake chips were found at other gaming tables in the same casino. The PJ investigation traced the fraudulent activity to two mainland male gamblers, who confessed to exchanging their proceeds with two mainland “money exchange gangs.”

PJ intercepted the mainland siblings at the same casino Wednesday.

One of them was found to be in possession of HKD150,000 in chips and HKD7,000 in cash. The police also discovered transaction records on the siblings’ mobile phones, indicating an illegal exchange limit of RMB800,000, suggesting they may have profited by at least HKD8,000 from the fraudulent activities. Victoria Chan