Briefs | Man charged for stealing Macau Pass card

The Public Security Police Force (PSP) charged one man for appropriating a Macau Pass electronic payment card, the PSP reported yesterday. The case took place in February, when the owner of the card topped up his pass in a convenience store but subsequently forgot to take it with him. When the card owner returned to the store to retrieve his card, it was missing. The shop’s CCTV surveillance showed that another man illicitly appropriated the card. The 54-year-old local suspect used 500 patacas from the card’s credit. Upon police inquiry, the man admitted to the theft. The PSP has already forwarded the man to the prosecution authority. According to Macau’s crime code, this particular crime is subject to a maximum penalty of one year in prison or a maximum fine equivalent to 120 days.

Woman lost 165,000 to online fraud

A local woman in her 40s reported to the Judiciary Police a total loss of 165,000 yuan to an online fraudster. According to her, she had been engaging with an online friend for two years. In May this year, her online friend posted investment-related content on a social network. The woman said that she was intrigued and contacted her friend to learn more. However, it turned out that the online friend was deceiving other people. The victim said she made multiple investments through one online investment platform provided by the online friend, transferring the money to a designated bank account. Later, the investment platform’s customer service convinced the woman that she should make further investments by sending more money to that specific bank account. Only at this time did the woman suspect that the arrangement was a fraud.

900 vehicles found related to tax violation

Since April 1, the Transport Bureau (DSAT) has found over 900 vehicles running on Macau streets without having settled their motor vehicle tax. The deadline to pay motor vehicle tax for the last taxation period was April 1, with over 13,500 vehicle owners failing to settle the tax, representing 5.6% of the city’s registered licenses. In response to the unpaid tax, the DSAT deployed inspectors to investigate the situation on the road in April. The inspectors found a total of 912 vehicles that had with unpaid tax records, did not have the paid tax confirmation attached to the vehicle, or had had the car license canceled. According to the DSAT, not attaching paid tax signs on the vehicle’s body represents 73% of the aforementioned number of cases, totaling 663 vehicles. Car owners with unfulfilled tax responsibilities are subjected to an additional 3% of tax and are obliged to pay double the concerned penalties as well.