Gov’t aims to establish information-sharing platform between industries in anti-fraud efforts

Lawmakers raised concerns over rising fraud targeting residents’ finances, with Secretary for Security Chan Tsz King saying authorities plan to set up a joint information-sharing platform involving the Judiciary Police (PJ), banks and the Monetary Authority of Macao (AMCM) to strengthen anti-fraud efforts.

According to data presented by the Secretary at a plenary session of the Legislative Assembly (AL) yesterday, total fraud cases – particularly telecom frauds – declined in the first three quarters of last year, with phone scams targeting university students significantly reduced.

The number of students enrolled in local higher education institutions who fell victim to public security, procuratorate, and court-related phone scams decreased by 29.3% in 2024 compared to 2023, while the first three quarters of 2025 reported a 42.6% decrease compared with the same period in 2024.

Additionally, 71 individuals aged 60 or above were defrauded in the first three quarters of last year, an 11.3% year-on-year decline, with victims of the prevalent “Guess Who I Am” scam dropping by 67.4%. However, new scams impersonating platform customer service representatives proved highly deceptive, defrauding 23 elderly individuals during the same period.

Chan reaffirmed the role of telecommunications operators in combating fraud, stating, “Most fraudulent activities are carried out through phone calls and messages.”

He added that the PJ, banks, and the AMCM have been discussing the establishment of a joint information-sharing platform since December, with implementation expected soon. Chan believes this mechanism will enhance information exchange between law enforcement and industry, thereby more effectively preventing asset losses among victims.

He said that collaboration among police, the financial sector, and telecom operators will be key to future anti-fraud efforts, asserting, “Telecom operators should also actively participate in blocking suspicious websites and verifying false information.”

Notably, the PJ’s collaboration with Macau’s banking sector on loss mitigation measures – including “emergency payment stops,” online and offline “suspicious remittance dissuasion,” and “fraud account alerts” – successfully intercepted 482 cases in the first three quarters of 2025, involving over MOP56 million.

During the same period, 397 suspected fraudulent accounts were reported to the banking sector. The PJ Anti-Fraud Center received reports from banks, anti-fraud units in neighboring regions, and victims’ relatives and friends, assisting in the on-site handling of 18 fraud cases and successfully recovering over MOP2.4 million.

Authorities emphasized that leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) technology to intercept false information is a key future research direction, with plans to gradually integrate anti-fraud program data into “Easy Transfer” and bank transfer systems.

The PJ’s anti-fraud program on WeChat includes functionalities such as tip reporting and a fraud information search engine.

Citizens are encouraged to actively utilize this tool for information verification, and the public is urged to promote the anti-fraud program widely to enhance its effectiveness.