Police say crime syndicate used popular social media platforms and messaging apps to recruit teenagers with promise of quick cash
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenEmily HungPublished: 6:04pm, 9 Jul 2026Eight teenagers have been arrested after allegedly being recruited via social media by a crime syndicate to splash paint on the doors of flats and businesses across Hong Kong to intimidate debtors.
The four boys and four girls were apprehended alongside a 24-year-old man on suspicion of criminal damage and conspiracy to commit criminal damage as part of a citywide police operation on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The force said on Thursday that a crime syndicate had used popular social media platforms and messaging apps to recruit young people with the promise of quick cash, offering rewards ranging from HK$800 to HK$2,000 (US$102 to US$255) per assignment.
“[The syndicate] assigned them tasks, which included purchasing red paint and splashing it at specific targets,” the force said.
In Hong Kong, splashing paint on doors is commonly used as an intimidation tactic by criminal groups collecting debts.
Three of the arrestees – a 14-year-old girl, a 15-year-old boy and the man – were allegedly members of a triad-linked debt collection syndicate who recruited people online to splash paint.
