A local salesman, in his forties, was cheated out of 103,098 patacas by a “masseuse” in an online scam which offered a purported massage service, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokeswoman Lei Hon Nei said at a press conference yesterday.
According to Lei, the victim reported to the police last week that he met a “masseuse” through a chat app on his smartphone on September 29. The “masseuse” told him that she could give him a massage in her flat. The victim made an appointment for the service on Friday. The “masseuse” told the victim to pay 500 patacas to buy a gift card in a convenience store for the service and to send her the password. The victim bought the gift card and sent the password details to the “masseuse” who told the victim that someone had stolen something from her flat. She then told him to pay 8,000 patacas as “guarantee” which would be returned to him after the massage. After the victim bought the 8,000-pataca gift card, the “masseuse” asked him to pay 20,000 patacas as a purported “health report charge”.
Subsequently, the victim was asked to buy even more gifts cards for her, finally reaching 103,098 patacas in total, but he was still unable to get his massage. He later asked for refund but was refused. The victim, who never met the “masseuse” in person, finally realised that he had been cheated and reported the case to the police, Lei said.
Judiciary Police (PJ) spokeswoman Lei Hon Nei looks on during yesterday’s press conference at the PJ headquarters. Photo: Camy Tam
