6 arrested for exploiting asylum seeker food vouchers
Police have arrested six people for reselling food vouchers issued to asylum seekers for profit.  The stored value cards are part of an assistance package for non-refoulement claimants, who can use them to buy HK$1,200 worth of food from designated supermarkets each month. According to police, a syndicate bought these cards from asylum seekers at 60 percent of their value. They then used the cards to buy various items such as rice, peanut oil and soft drinks, before reselling them to pharmacies in Jordan for profit.  Police arrested a local woman surnamed Kwong, aged 50, three local men aged between 42 and 45, and two non-Chinese men on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud, and handling stolen goods. During the operation, officers seized HK$130,000 in cash and HK$14,000 worth of food. The force has not ruled out the possibility of further arrests. In response to media enquiries, the Social Welfare Department said it's been referring asylum seekers to the International Social Service – an NGO responsible for assessing their eligibility for humanitarian aid.  The department expressed concern over the incident and stressed that any breach of the conditions of assistance would be taken seriously.  The International Social Service, for its part, said it's been taking various measures to ensure proper use of the food cards, including regular meetings and transaction record monitoring.  It said it has reported the case to the police and will conduct an internal probe. It added that around 12,000 asylum seekers are currently receiving the monthly food allowance._____________________________
Last updated: 2023-10-19 HKT 16:28 