126 fake academic credential reports logged in first 7 months: Hong Kong police
Force arrested 55 people between January 2022 and July this year for allegedly using fraudulent credentials at local universities
More than 125 reports of fraudulent academic qualifications involving students at Hong Kong universities were filed in the first seven months of this year, police have said, with information about alleged unlawful intermediaries shared with mainland Chinese authorities.
In a reply to the Post, the force said on Tuesday that 55 people accused of using fake credentials were arrested between January 2022 and July this year, and six were eventually convicted.
The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) recently reported receiving several hundred applications from non-local students who allegedly used fraudulent academic qualifications for admission in the current school year.
Police said they had received 126 reports of suspected fraudulent academic qualifications involving students at local tertiary institutions.
They also said that, of those arrested, nine were charged, six were convicted, one was released on bail pending trial, one had charges dropped, and one was wanted for failing to appear.
“The cases of the remaining individuals are still under investigation,” the force said.