Four mainlanders have been arrested for selling fake smartphones, Public Security Police (PSP) spokesman Lam Keong said yesterday at a regular press conference.
Two of the suspects, both surnamed Su, are aged 41 and 48. The third suspect surnamed Deng is aged 35, while the fourth suspect surnamed Zhu is aged 51. All of them told the police that they’re jobless.
According to Lam, the police received a report on Sunday from a shopkeeper on Rua Norte do Canal das Hortas saying that earlier that day that he had been defrauded by a scammer who sold him two smartphones. The scammer, the 41-year-old Su, told the victim that he was in need of cash and offered to sell the two phones, which he claimed to be worth 13,800 yuan (15,600 patacas) each, for a total of just 6,500 yuan. Su even presented the victim with “receipts” as “evidence” of the phones’ original prices.
The victim later discovered that the smartphones were fake and only had basic calling functions. He reported the scam to the police, who scrutinised CCTV footage that helped them identify Su. The police arrested Su along with three other suspects in a hotel on Rua da Felicidade.
A total of 24 fake smartphones were seized from the suspects. The 41-year-old Su told the police that he bought six fake smartphones and bogus receipts for a total of 3,000 yuan. Under questioning, they all confessed to selling or attempting to sell fake phones.
The quartet have been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), facing fraud charges, according to Lam.
This undated handout photo provided by the Public Security Police (PSP) yesterday shows evidence including fake phones seized from the four fraud suspects.
This undated handout photo provided by the Public Security Police (PSP) yesterday shows PSP officers escorting the four mainland fraud suspects to a police vehicle.
