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| A Filipina who was knocked down by a KMB bus in Central in 2021 is a TAVA beneficiary |
Scammers have apparently managed
to dip their hands into a financial assistance fund set aside by the government
for victims of traffic accidents in Hong Kong.
Police today announced that
they have arrested 275 people who are suspected of having staged traffic accidents
to collect money from the Traffic Accident Victims Assistance scheme
administered by the Social Welfare Department.
Officers said the suspects had
obtained about $14 million from the government through the SWD after getting
involved in 121 traffic accidents from February last year to April this year.
Chief Inspector Tse Yu-ngai
said most of the subjects belonged to different syndicates, and some even
staged accidents involving public transport, after which a number of supposed
victims had filed claims.
In one accident involving a collision
between a double-decker bus and a car, 11 of the 14 claimants were from the
same syndicate, said Tse.
“They got on the
double-decker bus at different stations. When the bus travelled to Tung Chung,
the mastermind arranged a private car to collide with the bus, staging a
traffic accident," Tse said.
He added some of the
claimants were forced to take part in the staged accidents so they could pay
off their debts to the syndicates.
According to a statement
issued by the government, the apparent scam was uncovered by SWD staff who
noticed suspicious elements in the medical certificates submitted by some
applicants.
A subsequent investigation
revealed that the claimants had not sought any medical treatment from the
private medical institutions or clinics which allegedly issued the medical
certificates they submitted.
The suspects, aged between 18
and 64, were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud and fraud, which
under the Theft Ordinance, is punishable with imprisonment of up to 14 years.
The TAVA scheme which was set
up in May 1979, provides immediate financial aid to traffic accident victims in
Hong Kong, whatever their visa status. A number of foreign domestic workers,
and even tourists, are among those who have benefited from the scheme.
