60 per cent of 165 cases linked to seven local suspects, one victim loses HK$1.2 million while seeking cheaper medicine
2-MIN READ2-MINNg Kang-chungPublished: 8:18pm, 29 Jun 2026Hong Kong police have arrested 78 people in a citywide crackdown on online shopping fraud, solving 165 cases involving more than HK$5 million in losses, including one victim who was cheated out of HK$1.2 million while seeking cheaper medicine.
Officers arrested 59 men and 19 women aged between 15 and 73 during the operation, code-named “Blacksword”, which ran from June 15 to 26.
Of them, 69 were suspected holders of mule accounts used to transfer or process illicit proceeds, with the majority claiming to be unemployed.
Cheung Chin-hung, a senior inspector at the force’s cyber security and technology crime bureau, said the operation had successfully dismantled several major local syndicates involved in online shopping scams.
The suspects face charges of obtaining property by deception and money laundering, police said.
Investigation showed that about 60 per cent of the 165 cases were linked to seven local suspects from five separate groups.
