A middle-aged local female has fallen victim to an online romance scam, losing 460,000 patacas after being duped into a fraudulent crypto-investment scheme, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Ho Ka Weng said during a regular press conference yesterday.
According to Ho, the victim met a man on a social media platform in mid-May. The man claimed to be a soldier in the Chinese mainland nearing retirement, and they quickly entered a romantic relationship online.
The man later alleged that a metal investment platform linked to “China Aerospace” had a system vulnerability, and military intervention was required to process the system, convincing the victim that she could secure substantial profits by exploiting this loophole, Ho said.
Following the suspect’s instructions, the victim purchased cryptocurrency worth a total of 460,000 patacas across two separate transactions on June 18 and July 6 and deposited the funds into a fake investment account, after which the suspect abruptly cut off all contact. The victim received zero return.
Meanwhile, the victim discovered that her mainland Chinese bank account had been frozen. Suspecting fraud, she reported the case to the police to pursue criminal charges on August 12, Ho added.
Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Ho Ka Weng looks on during yesterday’s regular press conference. – Photo: Ida Cheong
