Epoch.Cryptocurrency/FacebookA man was arrested in Hong Kong after making it ‘rain’ cash on the street in what is believed to be a cryptocurrency stunt.
Residents of the area of Sham Shui Po, reportedly one of the city’s poorest regions, were showered with bank notes on the afternoon of Friday, December 14. Videos from the scene show locals running through the streets and racing to pick up the bills.
A video was posted to the Epoch Cryptocurrency Facebook page, a man in a black hoodie is filmed getting out of a sports car before addressing the camera and saying: ‘Does anyone believe that money can fall from the sky?’
It is reported that the man in the black hoodie is Wong Ching-kit, a ‘cryptocurrency enthusiast and entrepreneur’, who owns the Epoch Cryptocurrency page, and is described as a ‘Bitcoin millionaire’, according to Shanghaiist.
In another video, Wong – who is believed to be behind the stunt – describes himself as a kind of ‘god’, who, like Robin Hood, ‘steals from the rich and gives to the poor’.
The 24-year-old cryptocurrency enthusiast was arrested on Sunday, December 16, just before he was supposed to be unleashing another stunt in the city. Authorities detained Wong as he was live-streaming a video, as well as holding a large amount of cash in one hand. He was reportedly arrested for ‘disorderly conduct in a public place’.
12月15號係FCC既大日子因為意味着fcc交易比賽公佈頭獎得主有機會贏取2000萬港幣現金一至50名都會有獎獎品總值超過4000萬簡單可能玩$100蚊都有機會贏取頭獎今次係fcc係全港第一條公鏈亦係我哋香港人可以賺盡中國市場錢的唯一機會想賺首期買樓 過更好既生活一定要買fcc 因為簡直係中國人送錢比香港人洗賺到錢對的感謝返我哋偉大嘅祖國今日既主題係劫富濟貧我自細就有一個夢想 希望做一個正義使者 超級英雄 可能好多人會因為年紀逐漸長大被工作不停磨滅 所以失去左這個心我亦非常能夠體會 因為我都曾經辛苦過 只係幣圈世界太過夢幻 短短幾年時間就可以令到我重拾童真唔知大家有冇想像過會有一日錢可以從天而降我幣少爺 今日企係度話俾你地知 只要你有夢想 就所有事情都係有機會發生錢就係從天而降。
Posted by 幣少爺-新世代礦業 on Friday, 14 December 2018
While his stunts have earned him a certain level of notoriety in the city, Wong isn’t always seen with the same positivity he seems to be sharing.
Instead, other cryptocurrency enthusiasts suggest Wong is more of a con artist, conducting these PR stunts for publicity alone, and saying he is nothing more than a ‘pyramid scheme’ operator.
One person wrote:
He’s not a Bitcoin Millionaire. He is running a pyramid-like scheme well known in the community. Disappointed this is getting so much uncritical attention
He's not a Bitcoin Millionaire. He is running a pyramid-like scheme well known in the community. Disappointed this is getting so much uncritical attention https://t.co/FSguI7sSkm
— Leo Weese 獅 草地 (@LeoAW) December 16, 2018
Police say they recovered around 600 bills from the scene of the stunt, amounting to only HK$6,000, while others reported he threw ‘100s of millions of HKD’.
Another person wrote:
China’s very own Trevon James, Wong Ching Kit Arrested.
As the next Carlos Matos, Trevon James, Wong Ching Kit is someone that gives crypto a bad name. If something is too good to be true, like money falling from the sky, one should stay far far away.
China’s very own Trevon James, Wong Ching Kit Arrested.
As the next Carlos Matos, Trevon James, Wong Ching Kit is someone that gives crypto a bad name. If something is too good to be true, like money falling from the sky, one should stay far far away. https://t.co/rlxIN3eLu3 pic.twitter.com/KIizduhip1— Mia Tam (@_blockandchain_) December 17, 2018
During his arrest, Wong carried on filming, and recorded himself sitting in the police van between two officers, saying: ‘I am now under arrest by police’, as Asia Crypto Today reports.
The 24-year-old was also shown being warned by police officers that he could not film or take pictures. By the end of the video, however, Wong said he had not been injured, and still had his cash from the stunt.
Many people, including those also involved in cryptocurrency, have spoken about Wong’s tactics and publicity stunts, saying that he has a reputation amongst those in the ‘crypto scene’.
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Charlie Cocksedge is a journalist and sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated from the University of Manchester with an MA in Creative Writing, where he learnt how to write in the third person, before getting his NCTJ. His work has also appeared in such places as The Guardian, PN Review and the bin.