On July 3rd, 2024, a three-year-old boy was kidnapped in Tseung Kwan O, Hong Kong. The Hong Kong police received a report about the abduction at 4:30 PM that afternoon.
Shortly after, rumors about the kidnapping began circulating on social media platforms like Facebook and the online forum LIHKG. The authorities quickly deleted the related posts, but vigilant netizens had already captured screenshots as evidence.
One screenshot showed a note in simplified Chinese characters that warned the boy's parents not to report to the police if they wanted the child to be safe. The note instructed the parents to download the Telegram messaging app and contact a specific account.
In another screenshot, the kidnappers demanded a ransom of 660,000 Tether (USDT) cryptocurrency, worth approximately HK$5.14 million. They told the family to deposit the virtual currency into a designated encrypted account, warning that they would not go offline until the USDT funds were received.
Francis Pong, the Honorary President of the Hong Kong Information Technology Federation (HKITF), commented on the use of cryptocurrencies in this criminal activity. He noted that in the past, virtual currencies were primarily traded online, making them difficult to trace. However, Pong highlighted that nowadays, cryptocurrencies can be bought and sold on regulated trading platforms, where both outgoing and incoming transactions are recorded, making it possible to trace these transactions.
Ultimately, the three-year-old boy was successfully rescued by the authorities. This incident serves as a reminder of the potential risks associated with the use of virtual currencies in criminal activities and the importance of effective tracing mechanisms to combat such crimes.
三歲男童於將軍澳被綁架後獲救 綁匪要求以虛擬貨幣作贖金,專家建議追蹤交易平台
2024年7月3日,一名三歲男童於香港將軍澳被綁架。香港警方於當日下午4時30分接獲報案。
隨後,有關綁架事件的謠言開始在Facebook和online論壇LIHKG上流傳。當局雖然迅速刪除了相關帖子,但警惕的網民已經截圖存證。
其中一張截圖顯示,綁匪用簡體中文寫的字條警告男童家長,如果他們想孩子安全,就不要報警。字條要求家長下載Telegram並聯絡指定賬號。
另一張截圖顯示,綁匙要求6.6萬枚泰達幣(USDT)作贖金,約合港幣5.14百萬元。他們告訴家人要把虛擬貨幣存入指定的加密賬戶,並警告直到收到USDT資金才會中斷聯繫。
香港資訊科技聯會名譽會長方保僑評論了這宗案件中虛擬貨幣的使用。他指出,過去虛擬貨幣主要在網上交易,很難追蹤。但方先生強調,如今虛擬貨幣可在受監管的交易平台買賣,流水賬都有記錄,可以協助追查這些交易。
最終,三歲男童獲警方成功救出。這宗案件提醒我們,虛擬貨幣在犯罪活動中的潛在風險,以及有效的追蹤機制對於打擊此類罪行的重要性。
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