PJ warns of multiple scam ads on social media

The contents of this image are probably fake news, and Macau Daily Times has nothing to do with these contents that are springing everywhere in an apparent case of identity or brand theft

The Judiciary Police (PJ) has issued a warning to the public regarding a large series of fake social media pages impersonating local department stores, gambling corporations, and watch retailers in Macau, to lure users with promotions.

According to the PJ, the pages “falsely claimed that the stores were conducting promotional campaigns that offered limited edition designer handbags and luxury watches at meager prices. These fraudulent pages also used ‘sponsored’ advertisements to proactively push these posts to a broader range of users, luring them to click on the ads and place orders through the links.”

The PJ suspects that the purpose of such ads is to collect personal information to be used for illicit purposes.

The ads presented luxury goods offered at a small fraction of the market value; in some cases the price to pay was just 1% of the regular product price.

The I.T. Crimes Division Anti-Fraud Coordination Centre of the Macau Judiciary Police is urging residents to take a closer look at the “sponsored” advertisements pushed by online social platforms, as scammers may use fake accounts to purchase ads and commit fraud.

When in doubt, use the PJ’s “Anti-Fraud Program” to check the risk index or report information, or call the force hotline at 8800 7777.

Additionally since yesterday, the Times has learned that a similar scam page was making use of the same method of “sponsored” ads on several social media platforms to advertise an alleged news report published by the Times.

The Times hereby states that this is a false report and no interview was ever conducted by the Times with someone named Wu Chun on an alleged topic involving a government bureau. The Times cautions our readers to pay attention to any links that are based anywhere outside our official webpage (www.macaudailytimes.com.mo).