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Police this (October 16) evening charged three men and a woman in connection with e-banking fraud.

Initial enquiries revealed that some customers' data of a major bank in Hong Kong had been illegally obtained and used to open 13 e-banking accounts without the victims' authorisation between August 6 and 7.

Subsequently, a total of $55,000 was unlawfully transferred from nine of the 13 accounts to a fraudulent account.

The money was withdrawn immediately though ATM or in person from a branch of the bank.

In response to a complaint from the bank on August 20, officers from the Technology Crime Division of Commercial Crime Bureau took up the investigation.

Yesterday (October 15) and today (October 16) saw the arrest of four men and one woman, aged between 20 and 29.

Of the five arrested persons, a 20-year-old woman is an incumbent staff member of the bank while a 25-year-old man who was a staff member of another bank had previously worked for the bank.

Police investigations also revealed that there was no known vulnerability in the bank's e-banking computer system.

Four of the arrested persons, comprising three men and a woman, were charged with access to computer with criminal or dishonest intent and dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offence.

They will appear in Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts tomorrow (October 17).

A 21-year-old man was released on Police bail pending further enquiries.

Police Report No 1

Issued by PPRB

End/ 1910 hours, Thursday, October 16, 2003 (RCH/PW)