A local man studying in Japan has fallen victim to a “fake police” scam, losing 800,000 patacas, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Ho Wai Lok said during a regular press conference yesterday.
According to Ho, the Judiciary Police (PJ) received a report last Tuesday from a local bank. A middle-aged local woman was assisting her son with his bank passbook records when she discovered multiple transfers from his account to various Hong Kong accounts. Suspecting her son had been scammed, the bank reported a total loss of 800,000 patacas to the police on his behalf.
The woman told the police that in early May, her son, who is studying in Japan, told her that his school required him to enrol in advanced courses and asked her to transfer 800,000 patacas to his bank account in Macau. Between May 14 and 15, he requested an additional 190,000 patacas to be sent to his bank account in Japan.
Ho noted that after the woman discovered the scam, she contacted her son, who told her that he had received a call in early May from a “police officer from Guangdong Province.” The caller told him that his personal information had been stolen and that a mainland phone number under his name was sending out scam messages. He was asked to cooperate in an “investigation” and submit a “deposit.” The scammer convinced him to ask his mother for money under the pretext of “enrolling in courses,” leading to the initial transfer of 800,000 patacas. The subsequent transfer of 190,000 patacas was halted by the bank.
Upon discovering the transfer of the 800,000 patacas, the woman realised that her son had been defrauded and reported the total loss of 800,000 patacas to the police last Tuesday.
Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Ho Wai Lok looks on during yesterday’s regular press conference. – Photo: Ada Lei
