The Judiciary Police (PJ) arrested a local woman for a 600,000 pataca “swimming course discount” deception on Thursday, PJ spokesman Cheong Siu Keong said during a special press conference on Friday.
Cheong identified the suspect as a 39-year-old woman surnamed Leong, who claimed to be unemployed.
According to Cheong, in mid-2023, a Macau swimming association hired Leong for a clerical position, including collecting tuition fees, recording student numbers and coordinating class schedules, adding that in mid-2025, the association noticed an increase in student numbers but discovered a discrepancy in the tuition fees collected.
The association requested that Leong provide student records for verification, but she repeatedly delayed doing so, Cheong said.
At the end of last November, Leong left her job and cut off all contact. The association subsequently reported the matter to the police, according to Cheong.
PJ officers arrested Leong in the peninsula’s central district on Thursday. Officers revealed that, starting in April 2024, Leong falsely claimed the swimming association was offering a promotional scheme, telling parents that paying tuition fees in a single lump sum would grant them additional free classes. Leong changed the name of her personal e-payment M-pay account to match the name of the swimming association, leading parents to mistakenly believe the fees were being collected by the association, Cheong said. A total of 159 students were defrauded, with each family losing between 1,500 and 3,700 patacas.
Cheong said that the total amount involved was 600,000 patacas, and Leong has admitted that all the money was used for personal expenses and debt repayment.
Leong was transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) on Friday, facing a charge of fraud.
Judiciary Police (PJ) officers escort the fraud suspect, surnamed Leong, to PJ car outside the PJ headquarters in Zape on Friday. – Photo: Armindo Neves
