A local woman has been arrested for cheating three people in a luxury-brand watch scam, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Ho Chan Nam said at a regular press conference on Monday.
The 33-year-old suspect surnamed Tang worked previously as a saleswoman in a watch shop.
According to Ho, Tang told the three victims from the mainland separately between February and June that she used to be a saleswoman of a particular watch shop. Tang claimed that she could sell the victims shelf warmers at a 50 percent discount.
Believing her, the victims paid 100,000 yuan (112,000 patacas), 470,000 yuan and 90,000 yuan respectively to Tang. They never received the watches. Ho added that when the victims demanded the watches, Tang returned a portion of the money to them.
Ho said that on Saturday two of the victims met with the suspect at a hotel in Cotai to demand all their money back. Tang came up with excuses and attempted to delay repaying the money, prompting the victims to report the case to the police on the spot. The police arrived and picked up Tang.
Under questioning, Tang denied the allegations. Ho pointed out that the police confirmed that the suspect had never been employed by the watch shop where she claimed to work, and that the watches she had promised to sell at a discounted rate were no longer in stock.
Tang has been transferred to the Prosecutions Office (MP), facing fraud charges, according to Ho.
