A cyber scam involving online food ordering has emerged in Macau, with victims losing more than 6,000 patacas in total so far, and Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Chong Kam Leong said at separate regular press conferences on Monday and yesterday that six locals had placed orders for 20 to 40 “healthy lunchboxes” at prices ranging between 750 and 800 patacas through e-payment early this month, but never received the food as promised.
According to the Judiciary Police, fraudsters set up a dedicated page on a social media platform for “light Chinese and Western meals” or “low-fat meals” deliveries, touting the fact that consumers could enjoy preferential prices for ordering large quantities of meals at one time, so as to lure them into ordering multiple meals to be delivered on different days.
Chong said at yesterday’s press conference that one of the victims went to the eatery claiming to be located on Rua do Canal Novo to check it out, but there was no such shop.
The PJ Anti-fraud Coordination Centre urged members of the public not to carry out any online transactions with strangers, be wary of all kinds of “pay first, deliver later” transaction requests when making online purchases, always pay attention to the crime prevention information issued by the police, and always remain vigilant in preventing fraud.
Anyone suspecting that they have fallen victim to fraud can check the relevant fraud risk index via the PJ Anti-fraud Programme on WeChat, or by calling the Judiciary Police’s Fraud Enquiry Hotline on 8800 7777 or the Police Reporting Hotline on 993 for assistance.
This poster provided by the Judiciary Police (PJ) yesterday urges members of the public to remain vigilant against food-ordering scams.
