PJ arrest tourist affiliated with Alipay scam

The Judiciary Police (PJ) have dismantled part of a telecommunications scam operation that defrauded nine local residents of nearly MOP500,000 through a complex Alipay fraud scheme.

A 31-year-old female Malaysian national, Tan, was found operating eight GOIP devices—specialized telecom equipment that masks overseas calls as local numbers.

Between May 11 and 14, scammers posing as Alipay customer service representatives contacted victims, falsely warning them that their “Fund Security Insurance” policies were about to auto-renew with hefty fees.

The scheme involved offering fake assistance to cancel expiring insurance fees of up to RMB1,100 and redirecting payments to offshore accounts.

Victims transferred amounts ranging from MOP9,100 to MOP173,900 – believing they were cancelling these fees.

The deceived victims – six women and three men aged 22 to 68 – were swindled into handing over funds under the guise of protecting their accounts.

Authorities linked the eight GOIP devices found in the room to 38 recent scams amounting to MOP1.4 million, where fraudsters impersonated payment platform representatives to steal credit card details and manipulate QR code payments.

Lei Chi Wai, head of the PJ’s cybercrime unit, explained at the recent press conference, “They [GOIPs] let criminals spoof local numbers while hiding their true location […] we believe that they were routing scam calls from overseas and simulating local numbers when calling residents to increase the call’s credibility.”

Authorities also disclosed that the Malaysian woman received MYR5,000 (approximately MOP9,400) to smuggle and manage the suitcase-sized GOIP units.

Police credited close cooperation with telecom providers and public tipsters for the breakthrough.

“Scammers used VPNs and rotated SIM cards, but hotel Wi-Fi logs helped us trace them.”

The arrest follows a 45% rise in similar scams since late April, when authorities dismantled another GOIP hub near the Border Gate area involving migrant workers.

Residents are urged to remain vigilant by verifying unsolicited calls through official channels, rejecting requests for remote device access, and reporting suspicious transfers immediately.

Four other suspects linked to GOIP devices remain at large.