Two local women reported to the Judiciary Police last week that they had been cheated out of 29,450 yuan (37,470 patacas) in a phone scam and an online scam respectively, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Ho Chan Nam said at a press conference on Monday.
According to Ho, the first victim reported to the police on Saturday that she had been cheated out of 11,600 yuan (14,760 patacas) in a phone scam. She told the police that she received a call on her smartphone on Friday from someone who claimed to be an officer from the “Public Security Bureau (PSB) in Zhuhai”. “The officer” knew her full name and ID card number, telling her that she was involved in a crime case in Guizhou. The purported officer even showed her the “warrant” through a video call and demanded she pay a 30,000 yuan “guarantee” to assist in the investigation. The victim transferred 11,600 yuan to a designated bank account and while waiting for the result of the investigation, told her husband about the matter. She then realised that she had been defrauded and reported the case to the police.
Meanwhile, another victim reported to the Judiciary Police on Sunday that she had been cheated out of 17,850 yuan (22,714 patacas) in an online scam. She told the police that she saw a post on a social media platform on February 28 about a smartphone for sale for just 1,500 yuan. After the victim paid the amount, the purported seller told her on several occasions to pay additional amounts of money, such as a “handling fee” and “guarantee”, promising that the money would be refunded once she received the phone. However, the victim never received the phone after paying 17,850 yuan in total and finally realised that she had been cheated so she reported the case to the police.
