‘Guaranteed wins’ gambling scheme defrauds victim MOP180,000

A 33-year-old mainland resident has been detained by Macau authorities for his alleged involvement in a large-scale fraud case wherein he is accused of duping a victim out of MOP180,000 through a fraudulent gambling investment scheme.

The victimized mainland man told the police that the suspect claimed to be able to win Baccarat with a “lose one, buy two” method, and offered to sign a “guaranteed agreement.”

The suspect, surnamed Pui, was arrested on July 17 as he was leaving the Macau International Airport. Pui, who is unemployed, allegedly approached the victim, also a mainland resident, through WeChat last October, claiming to be an expert in gambling with a guaranteed winning formula.

Pui reportedly persuaded the victim to invest RMB200,000 with the promise of regular returns. At first, the suspect did provide some returns to the victim, but then he began making excuses and eventually stopped paying the victim altogether.

According to a police statement, the suspect “used the above-mentioned investment and gambling methods to defraud the victim’s money and used the defrauded money to gamble in the casino.”

Authorities added that Pui “did not have any so-called winning formula or method” and “lost most of the money given by the victim.”

The victim reported the case to the Macau authorities on July 13, stating that he had lost contact with Pui and the MOP180,000 he had invested. On July 17, the Macau police successfully intercepted Pui at the Macau International Airport and seized HKD6,000 from the suspect, which they believe is related to the case.

The case has now been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office for further investigation. Authorities have warned the public to be cautious of such fraudulent investment schemes, particularly those involving promises of guaranteed gambling profits. Victoria Chan