591 online, phone scams recorded in 1H, MOP95 million in losses

The Judiciary Police (PJ) has recorded a total of 591 online and phone scams during the first half (1H) of this year, resulting in losses totaling about MOP95 million, the PJ disclosed to local broadcaster TDM.

According to the data collected by the PJ, there were 155 reports of phone scams and 436 reports of online scams between January and June.

PJ also noted that a large number of the cases involved scammers impersonating government department officials including the police, customs, and other judicial authorities from Macau or the mainland.

According to the Head of the Anti-Fraud Coordination Center of the PJ, Cheong Un Hong, in an interview with TDM, there were recent reports of even more concerning cases. In these cases, the victims were manipulated to contribute more broadly to the scam and involve additional victims.

In some instances, victims were asked to print fake detention orders and to deliver them to people who were being targeted by the crime ring, becoming accomplices to the crime.

According to the PJ, victims said that they were pressured to carry out such tasks as part of scam investigations and to avoid being implicated in alleged offences initially attributed to them by individuals posing as mainland authorities.

The most recent online fraud cause, as reported yesterday by the Times, involved 28 individuals who were involved in a scam related to online investments by a group of people that included five local insurance agents.

According to PJ, online investment frauds currently surpass all other types of fraud in terms of financial impact.

This has been attributed not only to the lack of knowledge among the general population, but also the apprehension felt by both locals and non-locals regarding mainland authorities. In consequence, victims are readily persuaded to comply with the demands of fraudsters unquestioningly.