A “quick change” confidence trickster was caught on Saturday for stealing a total of 1,500 patacas from six cashiers on separate occasions, Public Security Police (PSP) spokesman Wong Wai Chon said at a press conference yesterday.
The 60-year-old mainland suspect surnamed Wang told the police he’s jobless.
According to Wong, the Public Security Police received reports from three shops on Friday and Saturday that their cashiers had been defrauded when they were giving a man change after he pretended to pay for his purchases, who was later identified as Wang.
The manager of a variety shop near Kiang Wu Hospital told the police that Wang had pretended to purchase a cup for 20 patacas with a HK$500 note on Saturday. When the cashier handed him four 100-pataca notes as change and was counting the 80 patacas in small change, Wang suddenly claimed that he had changed his mind, took back his HK$500 note, returned only three of the 100-pataca notes to the cashier and left the shop immediately.
Meanwhile, two beverage kiosks’ cashiers told the police separately on Friday that earlier that day after Wang had ordered a drink from their kiosks, he put a HK$500 note on the counter and kept hurrying them up to give him his change. When the cashiers gave him the change, he snatched it as well as the HK$500 note on the counter and fled.
The three victims reported a loss totalling 1,050 patacas, Wong said.
Under questioning, Wang admitted defrauding six shops out of 1,500 patacas using the same method, adding that he forgot the names and locations of the other three shops.
Wang said that he came to Macau on November 13 and soon gambled away all his money except the HK$500. He then decided to con the cashiers so that he could have money to stay in Macau longer for more gambling.
Wang has been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), facing a theft charge, Wong said.
This undated pixelated handout photo provided by the Public Security Police (PSP) yesterday shows PSP officers escorting the “quick change” con artist to the Nam Van (Praia Grande) police station.
