8 people charged with conspiracy to defraud over bogus work records

The Independent Commission Against Corruption, otherwise known as ICAC, has charged eight individuals, including the shop manager of a fast food restaurant, for allegedly conspiring to deceive the fast food chain into paying wages totalling 680,000 dollars after producing fake work records.

The eight individuals, consisting of 39-year-old shop manager and his 28-year-old wife, were suspected of recruiting six "phantom workers" between October 2022 and June 2024 to use unauthorised smart cards to mark their work attendance at the MOS Burger Tin Shui Wai branch.

The group submitted false attendance reports of over 1,500 days. ICAC found that the six phantom workers had other jobs and never officially worked at the fast food branch. The latter subsequently transferred 400,000 dollars of their wages to Tsui.

The case was heard at the Tuen Mun Magistrates' Courts, with the eight people involved charged with seven counts of conspiracy to defraud.