A 41-year-old mainlander is suspected of defrauding an illegal currency exchange dealer out of more than 100,000 yuan (111,300 patacas) on Tuesday, a Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesperson said in a press conference yesterday.
According to the spokesperson, the illegal currency exchange dealer is a young woman from the mainland who came to Macau as a tourist, while the suspect is a 41-year-old mainland man surnamed Liu, who told police that he is a businessman.
The spokesperson said that the suspect contacted the victim on Tuesday through a live chat app, claiming that he needed to change his gambling chips into cash. Afterwards, they met in a hotel guestroom in Cotai, and both agreed to exchange chips worth HK$220,000 for 200,000 yuan in cash.
The victim first transferred 100,900 yuan to the suspect, and just when she was about to transfer the rest, the suspect ran away.
The victim immediately sought help from hotel security guards, who eventually intercepted the suspect at the swimming pool on the 3rd floor of the hotel.
During the investigation, the police found HK$220,000 in chips on the suspect, who refused to cooperate. However, the spokesperson said circumstantial evidence shows that he was involved in the case.
The suspect faces a fraud charge and has been transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) for further questioning and possible arraignment.
