The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) has begun an international manhunt for two Hong Kong crypto influencers who once promoted the beleaguered Dubai-based crypto exchange JPEX, and are currently wanted for theft, fraud, and money laundering. 

Interpol issued red notices for Wong Ching Kit — known by his online alias “Coin Young Master” — and his associate Mok Tsun Ting, according to a July 25 report from the South China Morning Post.

Wong is wanted on one count of fraud and two counts of theft in Hong Kong, while Mok is wanted on two counts of money laundering.

According to a July 25 report from local media, the red notices were issued on request by the Hong Kong police force in relation to an ongoing investigation concerning the pair’s financial activities.

30-year-old Wong was already known to authorities for prior legal controversies. He was also one of the key influencers who promoted JPEX, the crypto exchange responsible for one of Hong Kong’s most significant alleged fraud cases.

He was ordered to remove all videos referencing the exchange from his social media profiles in September last year.

Meanwhile, 26-year-old Mok was arrested in September in relation to the JPEX scandal but was released on bail.

JPEX was an unlicensed exchange heavily promoted in Hong Kong in 2020. It collapsed after allegations of a Ponzi scheme led to over 70 arrests and an estimated $206 million in losses for its clients.

Wong first went viral on social media in 2018 after throwing wads of cash from a building in one of Hong Kong’s poorest districts as part of a publicity stunt. He was later arrested on charges of disorderly conduct and granted bail.

In 2019, both Wong and Mok were arrested on fraud charges in relation to the sales of so-called “mining rigs” related to the cryptocurrency Filecoin (FIL).

Related: Crypto exchange grace period to remain unchanged in Hong Kong despite scandals

More than twelve investors said the pair conned them out of $385,000.

An investigation into JPEX began in September last year after the Hong Kong Security and Futures Commission identified it as an unlicensed virtual asset trading platform.

Eleven people associated with the exchange were arrested that month.

According to a June 5 report from the Hong Kong Free Press, the number of arrests rose to 73 by June 3. All parties taken into custody have since been released on bail.

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