Judiciary Police (PJ) spokeswoman Lei Hon Nei said in a regular press briefing yesterday that a man from the mainland has been arrested for attempting to scam a female mainland visitor with fake banknotes.
The 29-year-old suspect, surnamed Wang, told the police that he’s a chef.
According to Lei, last Monday the victim engaged in an online transaction through WeChat with an intermediary who informed her that Wang would meet her at a Cotai hotel for the deal. Prior to finalising the deal, the victim insisted on inspecting the cash, which Wang allowed. However, upon examination, the victim discovered that all the banknotes provided by Wang were counterfeits, leading her to promptly report the case to the police.
Lei noted that the counterfeit banknotes were not practice notes, as seen in recent cases, but rather poor-quality counterfeits that could generally be identified with the naked eye.
Under questioning, Wang confessed to the crime and told the police that he had been instructed by “someone” in the mainland to carry out the fraud. Wang said that he would receive a 10 percent share of the transaction as payment for the “job.”
Wang has been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), facing charges of fraud and circulation of fake banknotes, according to Lei.
