Ex-Mos Burger manager among eight in fraud case
SCMP · 1 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago2 MIN
Summary
Eight defendants, including former Mos Burger branch manager Tsui Hin-po and his wife Chan Wing-sze, have appeared in court after being charged with conspiracy to defraud Mos Food Hong Kong through an alleged phantom-worker scheme.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption said the group falsely represented that six co-defendants had worked as shop assistants for more than 1,500 days, even though they never reported for duty.
According to the charges, unauthorised smart-card taps and bogus reports were used between October 2022 and June 2024 to create false attendance records and trigger wage and Mandatory Provident Fund payments of about HK$740,000.
Acting principal magistrate Daniel Tang Siu-hung granted bail and transferred the case to the District Court for plea on September 8.
Key Points
- Tsui, 39, Chan, 28, and six other defendants aged 24 to 33 face seven counts of conspiracy to defraud.
- The six co-defendants are Wong Yin-yau, Cheung Wing-yee, Cheung Tsz-him, Cheung Hoi-wai, Lee Chung-yuk and Chi Hoi-ling.
- ICAC alleged the six were listed as full-time or part-time shop assistants at Mos Burger branches in Tin Shui Wai or Tuen Mun.
- Investigators said all six held other jobs at the time and had never worked at the Mos branches involved.
- After the wages were paid, about HK$400,000 allegedly went to Tsui, Wong and an associate.
Why It Matters
The case points to how payroll systems and attendance records at retail chains can be exploited when internal controls are bypassed.
For Hong Kong employers, it also underlines that suspected fraud can extend beyond wages to MPF contributions and involve multiple branches over a long period.