Con artists ‘steal €1m from Hong Kong businessman in Van Gogh painting scam’
Art dealer says three men replaced a bag of his cash with blank paper
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 09 June, 2015, 4:43pm
UPDATED : Wednesday, 10 June, 2015, 2:47am
Clifford Lo [email protected]
A self-portrait by Vincent van Gogh. A painting by the Dutch master is at the centre of an alleged scam that saw €1 million stolen from a Hong Kong art dealer. Photo: AP
Police are hunting three international con artists who allegedly cheated a Hong Kong businessman out of €1 million (HK$8.65 million) in cash by swapping the money for blank paper after agreeing to help him sell a Vincent van Gogh painting.
The victim runs a website through which he sells high-end paintings sourced from overseas. The scam began last month when one of the three contacted the 35-year-old Hongkonger by email, claiming he could help find a buyer for the oil painting - said to be worth €5 million - for a €1 million commission.
Police said the other two alleged scammers then met the victim in two separate encounters in Hong Kong to negotiate, and over the course of two meetings persuaded him to wrap up the €1 million, which they then swapped for blank paper.
The first meeting with one of the alleged conmen - a 1.8-metre tall white man who speaks English - was held at the victim's luxury apartment in Celestial Heights in Ho Man Tin. One police source said that meeting was designed to prove that the victim had the million in euro notes, which he showed the suspect.
"During the meeting, the banknotes were wrapped in a bag and then tied with brown adhesive tape before [the conman] signed on it," the source said. The conmen said they would not unwrap the bundle until they had found a buyer for the painting, he said. "The money was then stored in a safe."
Several days later a white, French-speaking man wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase went to the victim's home to finalise the deal and sign documents. He is thought to be between 50 and 60 years old and about 1.7 metres tall, with a heavy build.
"The victim was asked to show him the bundle [of money]. We believe the suspect swapped the bundle of real money with a bundle of blank papers when the victim's attention was diverted," the source said. He said it was possible the alleged conman put the money into his briefcase.
A plastic bag carrying the bundle of blank paper was then put back into the safe before the suspect left the flat.
The businessman became suspicious when he could not contact any of them last week.
"He realised he fell for a scam when he opened his safe to check [on Monday night] and found the bills had been swapped for blank papers," the source said. The victim called police that night.
Another police source said the painting in question, which police have not identified publicly, was not in Hong Kong.
He said officers were investigating whether the conmen were based locally or travelled to carry out the scam. Crime-squad officers from the Kowloon City police district are on the case. No arrests have been made.
