Crime | PJ warns of phone banking scam

The Judiciary Police (PJ) has warned citizens of a recent phone banking scam, and is advising Macau residents not to reveal any personal data, as banks do not ask for personal information via telephone.
According to a PJ statement, several clients of different banks have complained of receiving calls allegedly made by an employee of their bank requesting them to provide personal data.
The PJ has urged all citizens not to reveal any personal information. The police added that residents should not believe that the caller ID is indeed from their bank, as conmen have previously made use of techniques that allow them to change the identification number appearing on receivers’ phones.
“Banks never ask for clients personal data over the phone,” the PJ stressed. In addition, police authorities are urging residents to file complaints in case they receive this type of call or fall victim to any other form of telephone fraud.
The PJ, the Monetary Authority of Macau, several Macau banks and the Macau Association of Banks (ABM) held a meeting this week to discuss the new phone banking scam and to outline measures aimed at tackling phone fraud in general.
The PJ said that it will reinforce action to fight telephone fraud, and will continue to launch prevention campaigns to raise awareness among citizens, warning them of measures that should be taken in case someone falls victim to a phone scam.
The Macau Association of Banks also pledged to collaborate with police authorities, helping them to investigate phone-
banking scams. ABM stressed that it will step up communication efforts, and will exchange information with authorities regarding any relevant economic crimes. Furthermore, ABM said it would be assessing how it could efficiently warn clients of this type of scam.  CP