A taxi driver has been arrested for cheating a mainlander out of 1.07 million yuan (1.26 million patacas) by claiming to have a way to purchase branded goods in Macau and reselling them in the mainland to make a profit, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Lou Chan Fai said during a special press conference yesterday.
The suspect, surnamed Ho, is 42 years old. The victim is the owner of a media company in the mainland.
According to Lou, the victim reported to the police in February 2021 that he had met Ho in the mainland in 2015 and that in May 2019 Ho claimed to know how to purchase branded handbags and sneakers at a low price in Macau, reselling them in the mainland for a profit of 10 percent per week.
The victim then gave a total of 1.36 million yuan to Ho in cash, online and by bank transfer from May to September 2019. He initially received a purported return of 269,500 yuan, but did not receive any returns after September, eventually losing contact with Ho.
Ho was arrested when he attempted to leave Macau through the Barrier Gate checkpoint on Monday. Under questioning, he admitted to scamming the victim and claimed that he had gambled away all of the ill-gotten money.
In addition, Ho admitted that he had previously used someone else’s identity to apply for a mainland resident identity card, after which he used that person’s identity card to apply for multiple bank cards for personal use in the mainland.
Ho was transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) yesterday, facing charges of fraud and document forgery, Lou said.
Judiciary Police (PJ) officers escort the hooded local suspect to a PJ vehicle outside the PJ headquarters in Zape yesterday. – Photos: William Chan
Bank cards and a smart phone seized from the suspect are displayed during yesterday’s special press conference at the PJ headquarters in Zape.
