A local woman has been cheated out of 28 million patacas and also has been manipulated into unwittingly assisting scammers by forging remittance documents to defraud a medical institution, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Chong Kam Leong said in a regular press conference yesterday.
The 48-year-old suspect surnamed Man told the police she holds a managerial position in a company.
According to Chong, in March the suspect received a phone call from the scammers pretending to be police officers from the mainland and accusing her of “spreading false information” in the mainland. Subsequently, the woman received a “criminal arrest warrant”. Believing the fraudsters, she transferred from March to August 30 times to a designated Hong Kong bank account a total of 28 million patacas.
Chong noted that she also participated in “special missions” as instructed by the scammers, in an attempt to “redeem” herself from the alleged crime. Along with another suspect, a local surnamed Pun, who worked as a cashier at the medical institution and has been arrested recently, she forged remittance documents to defraud the institution where Pun was working.
Chong did not elaborate on Pun’s case.
Man was intercepted upon her arrival at the Taipa Ferry Terminal last Thursday. She has been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), facing fraud charges, according to Chong.
Cheong urged residents to be always aware of fraud prevention measures, adding that the scam caller might have obtained the respective victim’s identity information and, consequently, it was important to remain calm and not be intimidated by the fraudsters’ tactics.
According to Cheong, people should protect themselves from phone scams by categorically rejecting any requests for personal information, such as bank account details or app downloads, from unknown sources. In case a resident receives such a call, he or she should hang up at once and contact the Judiciary Police Anti-Scam Hotline on 8800 7777 or hotline 993 right away to report the case to the police and seek assistance.
Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Chong Kam Leong looks on during yesterday’s regular press conference.
– Photo: William Chan
