Filipina who sold eight Hong Kong bank accounts used for HK$6.4 million in scam money jailed for 40 months

A Filipina who opened accounts in eight Hong Kong banks and sold them, after which they were used to hold HK$6.4 million raised in scams, was sentenced by the District Court on 29 October to 40 months and 26 days in prison, The SUN Hong Kong reported.

A Filipina who opened accounts in eight banks and then sold them for sums ranging from HK$500 to HK$3,000 was sentenced by Hong Kong's District Court on 29 October to 40 months and 26 days in prison, The SUN Hong Kong reported. The accounts ended up being used as a depository for HK$6.4 million raised in scams.

Deputy District Judge Ivy Chui convicted Vermadel Canonero, 49, of eight counts of dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offence under the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance, and one count of breach of condition of stay under the Immigration Ordinance. Canonero admitted to selling the eight bank accounts.

How the sentence was set

According to The SUN, Judge Chui imposed a starting point of 48 months for money laundering and gave a one-third discount for the guilty plea, bringing it to 32 months. A 25 per cent enhancement to serve as a deterrent took the sentence to 40 months, and she added 26 days for overstaying.

Judge Chui said the money, more than HK$6.4 million, came from scam victims, in what appears to be the longest money laundering activity ever linked to a foreign domestic worker, spanning from 16 April 2022 to 13 November 2024.

The scams behind the money

The judge cited three ways in which victims were scammed. Some received a call from a supposed customer assistance line saying their bank account had been accidentally overdrawn and asking for their PIN. Others were told they had applied for insurance chargeable to their account and were offered help to erase it using their PIN. The third was an employment scam, which the judge did not describe in detail.

The accounts were with Mox Bank, ZA Bank, HKT Payment, China Citic Bank, Airstar Bank, HSBC, Bank of China and Livi Bank. The largest sum, HK$3,053,717.57, passed through the Mox Bank account between April 2022 and July 2024.

Immigration charge

Judge Chui cleared Canonero of a separate charge of overstaying her domestic helper visa because the prosecution did not offer evidence. She was instead convicted of remaining in Hong Kong after her visitor visa expired on 18 November 2024. When Canonero appeared in the District Court in January, The SUN reported that the money laundering offence carries a maximum penalty of 14 years' imprisonment and a fine of up to HK$5 million.

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