Woman arrested for posing as police officer in concert ticket scam

A 30-year-old local woman has been arrested on suspicion of impersonating a Judiciary Police (PJ) officer and defrauding another resident out of approximately MOP620,000 in a concert ticket scam, according to the PJ.

The suspect allegedly claimed she had access to a large number of discounted concert tickets through internal channels at the PJ.

The victim, a local woman, had expressed interest in purchasing tickets in a Taipa school’s parent group chat in August 2024.

The suspect responded, falsely claiming she worked for the PJ and could resell tickets for a profit.

To support her story, the suspect sent images of the PJ headquarters. Believing the claim to be true, the victim transferred funds to a designated bank account multiple times between August and October 2024.

However, the victim never received the promised tickets, even after the concert concluded in late October.

Despite repeated inquiries, the suspect delayed with various excuses, including most recently claiming she had been suspended from duty. Suspicious, the victim filed a police report.

Following an investigation, the PJ identified and apprehended the suspect early Monday morning in the NAPE district.

She confessed to the crime, admitting she was not a PJ officer and had no access to concert tickets. She told investigators that the stolen funds had already been spent on daily expenses and repaying debts.

She has been referred to the Public Prosecutions Office for suspected large-scale fraud and impersonating a public official. lv