A local woman has lost US$200,000 (1.6 million patacas) in a “fake police” scam, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Lei Chi Hou said in a regular press conference yesterday.
According to Lei, a local young woman reported to the police on Tuesday that her sister, who lives in the United States, entrusted her to file the report on her behalf. Her sister suspected that she was the victim of a “fake police” scam, resulting in a total loss of US$200,000.
On December 30, 2024, the victim received a call from a person speaking English, claiming to be a “crime investigator from the US government.” The caller indicated that her mainland phone number registered in Xiamen was sending out a large number of scam messages. She was then transferred to someone claiming to be a “Shanghai police officer” who informed her that a bank account she had opened in Shenzhen was involved in a US$2.97 million case.
The “police officer” requested a SKYPE video call, in which he was dressed in a police uniform and displayed documents such as an “arrest warrant”. He claimed that she could be released on bail but needed to pay a deposit of US$100,000, ordering her not to tell anyone and to contact him four times a day.
The victim believed the “police officer” and from January 9 to February 3, 2025, she transferred a total of US$100,000 from her bank accounts in Hong Kong and the United States. On February 26, the caller requested an additional US$100,000 as a guarantee, claiming that other individuals involved in the case had absconded. The sister transferred another US$100,000. On March 1, the caller told her that the investigation was complete but required another US$100,000 “deposit”, which together with the previous payments totalling US$200,000 would be refunded after the case was concluded.
The sister was unable to raise more money and after consulting friends and searching online, she realised she had been defrauded and entrusted her sister in Macau to report the total loss of US$200,000 to the police on Tuesday.
Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Lei Chi Hou looks on during yesterday’s regular press conference. – Photo: Ada Lei
