Five admit fake clock-in scam at ParknShop warehouse
Bastillepost · 2 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago4 MIN
Summary
Five defendants admitted in the District Court on September 4 to a conspiracy that used fake clock-in records to obtain more than HK$3.2 million in wages from ParknShop Supermarket (Hong Kong) Ltd over about two years. The court was told they intended to assist the prosecution, and Judge Alex Leung Kam-hung remanded them in custody until sentencing on March 5, 2027.
Key Points
- The five defendants are Lau Kin-bong (劉建邦), 44, a former senior supervisor at ParknShop’s e-commerce distribution centre, plus four outsourced staff linked to two contractors.
- They are Tai Kin-man (戴建文), 43, then assistant manager at Profit Link Warehouse Ltd, and Wong Wai-fung, Wong Pak-kan and Lau Tsz-pan, all then warehouse workers at Logistics Network Management Ltd.
- ICAC said the group bought a time recorder matching the one used at the centre and created false duty records for 13 warehouse workers from June 2019 to April 2021.
- Prosecutors said those 13 workers never worked at the centre, their signatures on attendance sheets were forged, and they received none of the wages claimed.
- The defendants admitted they were invited by Lau’s superior, the warehouse operations manager, to join the scheme and shared more than HK$3.2 million in fraud proceeds.
Why It Matters
The case shows how payroll fraud can be carried out through outsourced staffing and weak attendance verification, especially where multiple contractors are involved. A sixth defendant, former warehouse operations manager Cheng Cheuk-kei (鄭焯基), has denied the same conspiracy charge and is scheduled to stand trial on February 10, 2027, so further evidence about internal controls may emerge in court.