Macau’s number of reported computer crimes increased 297.5 percent year-on-year to 322 in the first quarter of this year, as residents have been spending more time on the Internet since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic early last year and some of them have failed to take the necessary cybersecurity measures, Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak said in a statement yesterday.
“The possible reason for the enormous increase in computer crimes in the first quarter of this year was that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the lifestyle and consumption model of members of the public. They have been spending more time on the Internet, but [some of them] have failed to take sufficient safety measures or to raise their awareness of safety [when using the Internet],” the statement said.
Macau confirmed its first COVID-19 case on January 22 last year.
In the first three months of this year, the statement said, Macau’s various law enforcement agencies recorded 2,914 suspected crimes, a year-on-year increase of 20.8 percent.
28.3 pct drop in Q1 last year
Macau’s total number of reported crimes fell 28.3 percent year-on-year to 2,412 in the first quarter of last year when the COVID-19 pandemic started to affect Macau.
Yesterday’s statement noted that while the total number of reported crimes increased to 2,914 in the first quarter of this year from the 2,412 in the first quarter of 2020, it was lower than the 3,364 in the first quarter of 2019. The statement said that the figure of 2,914 was “around midway” between 2,412 and the 3,364.
According to the statement, the total number of reported fraud cases increased 23.2 percent year-on-year to 324 in the first quarter of this year.
According to the statement, the total number of reported extortion cases increased by 383.3 percent year-on-year to 29 in the first quarter of this year from the same period of last year, when only six cases were reported.
The statement said that various kinds of crimes related to the Internet in the first quarter of this year increased year-on-year.
Among the different kinds of fraud cases reported in the first quarter of this year, the statement pointed out, the number of cases in which criminals defrauded victims by persuading them to join bogus investment schemes saw “the most significant increase”.
The number of such cases rose by 18 to 26 in the first quarter of this year from the same period of last year, or a year-on-year increase of 225 percent, according to the statement.
Naked chat extortion
According to the statement, the police recorded 20 extortion cases related to online “naked chats” in the first quarter of this year, 19 more than in the same period of last year, when just one such case was reported.
Of the 322 recorded computer crimes in the first quarter of this year, the statement said, the number of cases involving online shopping with credit cards accounted for the most. The police recorded 264 such cases in the first quarter of this year, 208 more than the same period of year, or a year-on-year increase of 371.4 percent.
The statement attributed the “enormous” year-on-year increase in the number of the three kinds of crimes (online fraud cases involving bogus investment schemes, naked chat extortions, and cases involving online shopping with credit cards) reported in the first quarter of this year to three main factors.
COVID-19 main culprit
Firstly, the statement said, more people have been shopping and making friends online as residents have been forced by the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce their social gatherings and trips outside Macau, making it easier for criminals to target potential victims.
Secondly, the COVID-19-induced stricter border entry restrictions have made it more difficult for criminals to commit “conventional” property-related crimes, the statement said, adding that therefore some of them have shifted their criminal activities to online blackmail and online fraud.
Thirdly, some residents do not have a strong awareness of protecting themselves from fraud so that they are likely to reveal their personal information or privacy matters to others on the Internet, the statement said.
According to the statement, the number of reported violent crimes fell 10.1 percent year-on-year to 71 cases in the first quarter of this year.
No homicide
No homicide was recorded in the first quarter of this year, according to the statement. In the first quarter of 2020, one homicide was reported.
The statement reaffirmed that very few serious violent crime cases such as robbery, kidnapping and grievous bodily harm were reported during the first quarter of this year.
The number of reported rape cases increased 33.3 percent year-on-year to eight in the first quarter of this year, or two cases more than the same period of last year, while the police recorded five child sexual abuse cases in the first quarter of this year, three cases more than the same period of 2020.
Cars and scooters drive past the listed S. Francisco Barracks yesterday. The Macau Public Security Forces are headquartered at Macau’s erstwhile Portuguese garrison barracks. Photo: Tony Wong
