Police warn of online ordering scams

Police have reported a surge in fraud cases involving “online ordering” this month, with at least 19 victims losing between MOP400 and MOP1,200 each. Fraudsters have been setting up fake social media pages, posing as local merchants and offering discounted “light and low-fat meals” or “various seafood.” Unsuspecting consumers transfer money to the provided MPay wallet, only for the perpetrators to fail delivering the goods and cease all communication. Police are urging the public to exercise caution when conducting transactions with unfamiliar online accounts and recommend ordering food from merchants with physical stores rather than accepting “pay first, delivery later” terms.