The week started with mooncakes so it’s only fitting to end it on Friday with a story of mooncake justice.
Police have arrested two women in connection with swindling HK$22,000 (US$2,800) from 12 people by selling them mooncake coupons online and then not delivering them.
Officers apprehended the women — a 44-year-old woman surnamed Wong and a 35-year-old woman surnamed Cheung — in Tsim Sha Tsui and Sham Shui Po at around 11:30pm last night. One of the suspects is reported to be a blue-collar worker, and the other is unemployed, and both have been detained for questioning.
Questions like: where the mooncake coupons be at?
According to Apple Daily, police received complaints from 12 people — four men and eight women aged 22 to 44 — between August and September. The newspaper reports that one of the victims purchased 29 mooncake coupons for HK$6,000 (US$767).
The report did not make clear if the 12 victims included the eight people who together lost about HK$20,000 from trying to buy coupons for Maxim’s famous lava custard mooncakes.
Wong and Cheung are believed to have posted on online shops that they were selling mooncake coupons at 20 percent cheaper than the market price.
Victims would contact the pair via WhatsApp and, after depositing the money into a bank account, they would be blocked and never get the mooncake coupon. Bad form.
The newspaper reports that police two mobile phones and three bank cards were seized during the operation, and urged people to be cautious when making transactions online.
If charged and found guilty, the pair could be sentenced to 10 years in jail for fraud.
No mooncakes there.
