23rd August 2024 – (Hong Kong) Hong Kong Customs have seized a cache of suspected game circumvention devices, infringing game consoles and related equipment with an estimated market value of around HK$1 million in a 9-day operation.
The special crackdown, conducted between 14th and 22nd August, targeted the online sale of prohibited game modification tools and counterfeit gaming hardware across the territory.
Through cyber patrols and big data analytics, Customs officers identified sellers utilising social media platforms and online marketplaces to peddle the illicit wares. Posing as customers, the officers then carried out undercover test purchases before raiding a commercial unit in Kwun Tong and a residential property in Tsuen Wan.
The raids resulted in the seizure of eight suspected circumvention devices, 640 sets of suspected infringing game consoles, around 200 SD cards containing alleged pirated games, and a trove of computer equipment. A subsequent on-site digital examination by the department’s forensic experts uncovered over 1,000 suspected infringing games stored on two connected devices.
Two men, aged 28 and 41, were arrested on suspicion of copyright infringement offences. One has also been charged with breaching his conditions of stay, while the other was released on bail pending further investigation.