Police dismantle fake TikTok customer service scam ring

Authorities announced yesterday that Macau and Zhuhai forces have jointly dismantled a cross-border telephone fraud ring that targeted local residents through fake TikTok customer service calls, arresting three mainland Chinese men in Zhuhai.

The joint operation took place earlier this week and followed an investigation into a scheme suspected of defrauding at least 54 residents between Sept. 18 and Oct. 12.

According to the Judiciary Police (PJ), victims, including young people and elderly residents, lost amounts ranging from several thousand to MOP2 million, bringing total losses to more than MOP10 million.

The PJ said the suspects operated from a fraud “den” in Zhuhai, using Macau prepaid SIM cards and signals from the territory’s Ilha Verde base station to make calls appear to originate from local numbers. Callers posed as TikTok customer service representatives and told victims that their livestreaming service had expired and required a MOP800 renewal fee. The suspects then persuaded victims to download unknown applications and enable screen sharing under the pretext of canceling the charge.

Police said the fraudsters could remotely control victims’ phones and transfer money via remittances and electronic payments.

For victims with physical credit cards, police said the suspects induced them to activate their phones’ near-field communication (NFC) function. The suspects allegedly read the card chip data and transmitted it to overseas call teams and servers to make fraudulent purchases.

In Zhuhai, police raided a building in the city and seized 66 mobile phones, including 42 that were in use, along with more than 200 telephone cards and other equipment.

The arrested men, identified as Chen, 37; Zhang, 39; and Zheng, 29, were described as technical and equipment maintenance personnel responsible for operating the site and placing scam calls.

Police said the site made at least 19,500 scam calls to Macau residents starting in late September. Investigators are continuing to trace the group’s alleged leaders, overseas upstream networks, and the flow of stolen funds.