Suspect cheats 3 mainlanders out of 271,160 patacas
A local man was arrested on Monday for scamming three mainlanders by claiming that he could help two of them get local work permits (colloquially known as “blue cards”) for their family members, while he could help the third man acquire a Macau ID card (BIR), Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Leng Kam Lon said in a special conference yesterday.
Leng said that the 67-year-old suspect surnamed Hoi told the police that he’s jobless. The three victims, who were cheated out of 271,160 patacas in total, are all from the mainland.
According to Leng, the two blue-card seekers, who are working as waiters in a local restaurant, got to know Hoi as he was a regular customer, while the male ID card seeker was introduced to Hoi through a friend. Hoi told the victims between last December and February about his “services”, and the victims fell for it.
Leng said Hoi told the waiters that he could arrange local jobs for their family members and friends, such as working as security guards and cleaners, which would earn them a 10,000-pataca salary a month. However, he also told the waiters that they needed to pay 12,000 patacas for each application. The two waiters paid Hoi by online transfer 102,800 patacas for six people and 61,360 patacas for seven people respectively for their family members and friends to obtain blue-cards.
Meanwhile, Leng said, Hoi also told the other victim that he could help him acquire a Macau ID card but he needed to pay a 150,000-pataca “fee”. The victim paid Hoi 107,000 patacas.
After the payments, Hoi kept coming up with various excuses and delayed the purported application process, and the victims eventually lost contact with him.
Hoi was arrested in a foot massage shop in Avenida da Amizade on Monday. Under questioning, he admitted scamming the three mainlanders, and claimed that he had spent all the money on gambling and his daily expenses.
Leng added that Hoi had been convicted of fraud in July last year and was still on parole.
Hoi was transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) yesterday, facing a charge of fraud involving a considerable amount of money, according to Leng.
The male local suspect is escorted by Judiciary Police (PJ) officers from the PJ headquarters to a PJ vehicle yesterday. – Photos: William Chan
Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Leng Kam Lon (left), accompanied by an unnamed PJ investigator, looks on during yesterday’s special press conference at the PJ headquarters about the fraud case.
