Police Bust Group That Gamed Pitch-booking System

The police said on Thursday they had busted a group that used fake ID cards to book public football pitches and then resold their bookings for a higher price.

Officers launched a probe after receiving a report from the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) in January. They arrested three men and one woman, aged between 23 and 43, on Tuesday on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud and using forged ID cards.

They also seized 124 fake ID cards, a laptop, a printer, and a number of blank cards used for the forgery.

The suspects used the ID cards to create more than 300 accounts on Leisure Link, the LCSD's online booking system, the police said. The suspects then used these accounts to book pitches online.

The system allows users to submit a single application to use a football pitch, and the pitch is then allocated through a lottery system. But with hundreds of fake accounts, the syndicate was able to flood the system, and increase their chances of winning the ballot.

The police say the suspects then presented high-quality forgeries to government staff when they arrived to use the pitches.

Swalikh Mohammed, Superintendent of Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau, said the suspects were able to make around HK$1 million.

He said the group ran amateur leagues and when teams registered, used the identity card of the players to create more fake IDs.

Mohammed said the LCSD shouldn't be blamed for what happened, and the force will work with the department to improve their security systems.