Cyber-attacks of significant scale using identity theft as modus-operandi

The city has recently experienced a surge in identity theft and cybercrime, with numerous paid advertisements appearing on social media platforms.

The Times has observed an increase in sponsored content on Facebook and Instagram directing users to suspicious websites in recent days.

The growing number of scam posts has also caught the attention of the Judiciary Police (PJ), who have issued a public warning that the purpose of these ads is to collect personal information for illicit purposes.

The Times learned that a recent scam page made use of so called “sponsored” ads on several social media platforms to advertise an alleged news report published by the Times.

The report includes an image of Wu Chun, a former member of a Taiwanese boy band, who boasts a significant following on social media.

His inclusion in the report suggests that he may have fallen victim to identity theft.

According to the report, he had disclosed his “money-making secret” before being “abruptly interrupted by a call from the Monetary Authority of Macao, instructing the live interview to be halted.”

The photo and story, published online to a fake website using the Times logo and distinctive layout, is fraudulent.

The Times received several screenshots of the post on Monday from several readers.

Another post emerged yesterday that also involves the Times and the same Instagram user.

In this instance, the Times logo was placed in front of a photo of the actor, who was now depicted with injuries and blood was running down his nose.

The post also reported an alleged conversation, saying that “the people of Macau deserve to know the truth.”

The Times has reported the Instagram post, but Meta chose not to take it down since the ad “is not in violation of our Community Guidelines.”

Meta suggested hiding ads and adjusting ad preferences instead.

Meanwhile, a post claiming to be from the “Ministry of Finance” has also called on members of the public aged 45 and above (including foreigners) to “apply for emergency loans free of charge.”

These occurrences pertain to a set of scenarios where fraudsters utilize the identities of different people and businesses, such as online posts, purporting to represent gaming companies offering significant markdowns on luxurious goods.

Sonny Lo, a political commentator who is aware of these events told the Times that both telecommunications fraud and identity theft are growing issues in Macau, with organized crime groups targeting unsuspecting individuals.

Therefore, regular education on these issues is needed through cell phone messages, television, university education, and casino-based publicity.

“Telecommunications fraud is not new and its cross-border nature has been complicated by loosely organized crime groups targeting people who are less technologically literate,” said Lo.

“As such, people in Macau, including mainland visitors (such as tourists, students and business people) and locals will need to be educated,” he added.

The commentator noted that Hong Kong and Macau may consider enacting cybersecurity laws, with penalties potentially revisited if they fall under matters of national security.

“Comparative data on cybercrime and identity theft is limited, but recent attacks suggest a need for increased awareness and enforcement,” Lo remarked.

“Identity theft was serious several years ago. It was brought under control but has since returned,” he added.

Although no comparative data on cybercrime and identity theft is yet available, Hong-Kong based organizations were under attack by hackers in the first quarter.

In the first three months of the year, Hong Kong police recorded over 18,000 reports of cybersecurity attacks, with the most significant surge observed in incidents related to robot zombie computers.

Chief Superintendent Raymond Lam Cheuk-ho from the cybersecurity and technology crime bureau stated that phishing attacks constituted nearly 46% of the total 18,758 incidents logged during this period, while malware reports accounted for an additional 29%.

The Times has contacted the PJ to request similar statistics but no reply was given by press time.

Businesses whose brands were also targeted on the fraudulent ads were also contacted, but did not provide a response by press time.

*Editors Note:

In case you have fallen victim to identity theft, please reach out to us by dialing +853 2871 6081/2 , sending an email to newsroom@macaudailytimes.com, or contacting us through Facebook at www.facebook.com/mdtimes.