Police on Monday said they had arrested 219 people suspected of carrying out scams or providing criminals with bank accounts to use for money laundering.

The 157 men and 62 women were arrested in an operation over the past two weeks.

The force said it suspects around HK$60 million was laundered after being stolen from 550 victims, including accountants, bank managers and investment advisors.

In one case, a software engineer lost HK$19 million in an investment scam, officers said.

The force urged people to think twice before transferring money to strangers.