The sidekick of an unknown man who accidentally tried to swindle three Hong Kong policemen in a phone scam has been jailed for two years and eight months.
The District Court heard how 23-year-old mainland factory worker Wu Yongxiu went to collect ransom money from an undercover policewoman on Dec. 14 last year.
His accomplice, going by the attractive nickname “Pig Bone”, inadvertently phoned three police officers in Kwun Tong Police Station and claimed to have kidnapped their sons, demanding each pay a HKD300,000 ransom.
Even though they were planning to sting the pickup guy, the officers still haggled the scammers down to HKD100,000 before going to “handover” the cash.
We guess they had to make it seem legit. No-one pays full ransom, right?
Wu pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to deal with property known or believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offence.
On passing sentence on Wednesday, Judge Sham Siu-man pointed out that the number of crimes where victims have been asked to drop off money in a specific location has risen from 38 in 2008 to 183 last year.
The money involved has risen from HKD3 million to HKD12.8 million, reports the SCMP.
Well, they can now add another HKD28 million on to this year’s figures thanks to that crazy kidnapping story.
Pig Bone, FYI, is still at large. Probably hanging out in the weirdest barn in the world with his buddies Sheep Tooth and Cow Skin.
