**********************************************************
Through the liaison channel of the INTERPOL, the Hong Kong Police jointly conducted an operation against "Naked Chat" Blackmail with overseas law enforcement agencies from Singapore and the Philippines on August 21 and 22, resulting in the arrest of eight persons in the Philippines.
Based on the intelligence gathered and analysed by overseas law enforcement agencies and the Hong Kong Police, the Philippines National Police mounted an operation in various locations in the Philippines, with the arrest of eight persons of Filipino nationality (including five males and three females, aged from 23 to 45) who were suspected of taking part in overseas ˇ§Naked Chatˇ¨ Blackmail cases.
The Hong Kong Police have been maintaining close co-operation and intelligence exchange with overseas law enforcement agencies against "Naked Chat" Blackmail cases. This was the second operation of its kind. It was believed that a syndicate of "Naked Chat" Blackmail operating in the Philippines and targeting overseas victims has been neutralised.
Since October 2013, the Commercial Crime Bureau of the Hong Kong Police has coordinated an operation against "Naked Chat" Blackmail, codenamed "Operation GLOBALTEE". Under the operation, a four-pronged approach has been adopted to combat "Naked Chat" Blackmail cases in full strength through intelligence analysis, enforcement, multi-agency collaboration, as well as publicity and education.
In this operation, the Commercial Crime Bureau initiated intelligence gathering and analysis into all "Naked Chat" Blackmail cases reported in Hong Kong since 2013, and exchanged relevant intelligence with overseas law enforcement agencies through the platform of INTERPOL.
Analysis of the intelligence exchanged among the Hong Kong Police and overseas law enforcement agencies revealed the identity of a few criminal syndicates in the Philippines, which were related to "Naked Chat" Blackmail cases occurring overseas including Hong Kong.
The Philippines National Police raided a number of premises in various locations in Bulacan Province in the Philippines on August 21 and 22. During the operation, eight persons of Filipino nationality were arrested, five minors who had been used by the culprits to lure ˇ§Naked Chatˇ¨ victims were rescued. Over 100 exhibits including personal computers/tablets, mobile phones, cameras and identification documents were seized.
Investigation revealed that the arrested persons had either contacted victims through social media platforms and saved the "Naked Chat" video of victims in their personal computers, or had received the extortion money remitted by the victims from overseas to the Philippines.
Three of the eight arrested persons and 18 suspects at large are suspected to be connected with various cases in Hong Kong. All arrested persons in the cases are detained by the Philippines National Police for investigation.
First phase of the operation turned overt on April 30 and May 1 in various locations in Bulacan Province, Bicol Region and Laguna Province in the Philippines with the arrest of 58 Filipino culprits.
The Hong Kong Police received 375 "Naked Chat" Blackmail cases from January to July in 2014, involving pecuniary loss of about $1,300,000. There were 192 cases over the same period in 2013, involving pecuniary loss of about $760,000.
The Hong Kong Police will continue to work with the Philippines National Police to follow up with investigation into such cases occurring in Hong Kong and maintain close cooperation with overseas law enforcement agencies against "Naked Chat" Blackmail.
Ends/Friday, August 22, 2014
Issued at HKT 22:32
NNNN
