Police warn against advanced scams amid slowdown in online fraud

The Judiciary Police (PJ) reported a slowdown in online and phone scams last year but aim to enhance public awareness of fraud prevention due to the rise of increasingly sophisticated and technologically advanced schemes.

In a speech yesterday, Sou Sio Keong, deputy director of the PJ, stated that online and phone scams totaled 1,260 cases last year, resulting in losses of about MOP232 million.

These figures indicate decreases of 1.4% and 25.3%, respectively, compared to 2023, with the first quarter of this year also showing year-over-year declines of 12.1% and 28.4%. “This reflects the public’s growing awareness of fraud prevention and the effectiveness of anti-fraud efforts,” he added.

The police recorded 354 cases of phone fraud last year, indicating a 13% decrease compared to the previous year.

In contrast, online fraud cases reached 906, marking a 4% increase year over year. However, this growth rate represents a significant drop of 38.8 percentage points compared to the prior statistical year, which saw an increase of 42.8% from 2022 to 2023.

to the PJ, the most common types of fraud currently include credit card theft, online ticket purchases, order fraud, and investment fraud. Among these, recent scam phone calls impersonating Alipay customer service representatives have led to multiple residents falling victim in a short period.

With the emergence of the first AI fraud case in Macau, fraud tactics have become “more complex, technological, and deceptive.”

Sou continued by stating that while the overall growth in fraud cases has been curbed, the public must remain vigilant.

“This AI technology can create a realistic simulation of a person’s appearance, allowing calls to residents that may lead recipients to believe the caller is someone they know,” PJ spokesman Cheong Un Hong told the media and other attendees at the PJ headquarters during the inauguration of their Anti-Fraud Coordination Center.

“This serves as a reminder to the public that as technology evolves, increasingly sophisticated fraud techniques may emerge in the future, such as impersonating a relative or superior to solicit loans, thereby increasing the risk of fraud,” he added.

In an effort to enhance anti-fraud coordination and raise public awareness through innovative publicity techniques, the PJ upgraded their Anti-Fraud Coordination Center and held an inauguration ceremony yesterday morning.

According to the PJ, their Anti-Fraud Coordination Center is driven by technology and data systems, featuring a visual data screen that monitors real-time fraud crime trends in Macau, providing essential support for targeted strategy formulation.

Additional facilities include an interactive AI deepfake experience zone, an anti-fraud training area, an independent hotline support office, and a dedicated multimedia studio.

The authorities aim to leverage this upgrade to innovate anti-fraud publicity models, enhance public awareness of fraud prevention, and strengthen cooperation with the financial industry, fostering deeper interregional and international anti-fraud collaboration.