A local man has been cheated out of 54,966 patacas in a “fake police” scam, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Lei Chi Hou said at a regular press conference yesterday.
According to Lei, a local young man reported to the police on Monday afternoon that he had been scammed, having lost a total of 54,966 patacas. The victim received a call on Friday afternoon from a man (“Man A”) speaking Putonghua, who identified himself as a “Wuhan police officer.”
Wuhan is the capital of Hubei Province. Wuhan lies some 940 kilometres north of Macau.
“Man A” claimed that the victim’s identity information had been stolen and used to register a mainland phone number, which allegedly was used to send out numerous scam messages. “Man A” identified the victim as the “main suspect” in the case and requested he immediately travel to the mainland for further investigation. The victim denied any involvement in the crime and said that he was unable to go to the mainland due to work commitments.
The victim was then transferred to another man (“Man B”) who also claimed to be a ”police officer” and instructed the victim to switch to FaceTime for further communication. “Man B” then claimed that he was not in charge of the case and transferred the victim to a man (“Man C”), who identified himself as a “Central Task Force police officer.” “Man C” told the victim that although his identity information had been stolen, he was still implicated in the case, and that the Ministry of Public Security had issued a “criminal arrest warrant” for him. “Man C” then showed the victim, through FaceTime, what appeared to be “an arrest warrant, an asset freezing order, an assistance investigation notice, and a confidentiality notice.”
The victim later told the police that these documents displayed his identity information and photo, leading him to believe they were genuine and the individuals he was speaking to were indeed Public Security officers which also made him believe that his identity information had really been stolen for criminal activities in the mainland.
After speaking with “Man C”, the victim was transferred to another man (“Man D”), who claimed to be a “director of the Wuhan Municipal Procuratorate” and the “chief official in charge of this case.” “Man D” asked the victim to provide his bank account information and transfer all his money to a “safe account” under the pretext of a “fund review,” He also told him to stay in a hotel near his home, claiming that he needed to be “isolated for investigation” to prevent information leakage.
Following “Man D’s” instructions, the victim booked into a hotel near his flat later that day and stayed there until Monday. During this period, he was told to pay a “deposit” of 50,000 patacas and “bail” of 50,000 patacas, totalling 100,000 patacas – amounts that he did not pay because of lack of funds. Afterwards, however, 54,996.52 patacas in his account was transferred to two unknown accounts, which he wasn’t aware of at the time.
On Monday afternoon, the victim received a call from a bank in Macau, informing him that his bank account might have been involved in suspicious transactions and asking if he had been defrauded. The victim realised he had been scammed and reported the total loss of 54,966 patacas to the police on Monday.
Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Lei Chi Hou looks on during yesterday’s regular press conference. – Photo: Ada Lei
