An elderly local woman has fallen victim to an investment scam, losing a total of 1.95 million patacas, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Cheong Un Hong said during a regular press conference yesterday.
According to Cheong, the victim met a man online through the social media platform “Douyin” in mid-May. In June, the man claimed to be involved in gold trading and investment activities in Hong Kong, asking the victim if she was interested in participating. The victim expressed her interest. Following the man’s instructions, she downloaded an app called “CITIC Securities International Trading”. The man claimed that he had opened an investment account for her and requested that she transfer funds for investments.
Cheong noted that after the victim told the man she was unfamiliar with online transfers, he claimed that he would “send a friend to Macau” to collect the cash in person. From mid-June to early July, the victim handed over a total of 1.95 million patacas in cash for gold investment to a “collector” sent by the man.
In mid-July, when the victim attempted to withdraw funds from the platform, customer service informed her of an “account input error,” saying that she needed to deposit a large sum of money to “unfreeze the account.” After discussing the situation with her family, the victim realised it was a scam and reported the total loss of 1.95 million patacas to the police on Saturday.
