A male non-resident worker (NRW) fell victim to a prostitution scam and lost 86,000 yuan (99,800 patacas), PJ spokesman Cheong Kim Fong said in a regular press conference yesterday.
On December 8, Cheong said, the victim came across an online advertisement offering commercial sex. After contacting the individual as directed, he was told that he needed to complete an online game first before the “date” could be arranged, Cheong said, adding that the victim was a young man.
The scammer sent a link and instructed the victim to top up his application to take part in the game with 2,000 yuan, Cheong said, adding that, subsequently, the victim was told that an operational error had caused his account to be frozen and that an additional payment would be required before any refund could be processed.
Cheong said that the victim, believing the predicament to be genuine, made more than 10 payments to the designated account between mid-December and February 8, totalling 86,000 yuan. However, the “date” never materialised, according to Cheong, adding that, suspecting he had been deceived, the victim reported the case to the Judiciary Police on Friday.
Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Cheong Kim Fong looks on during yesterday’s regular press conference at the PJ headquarters in Zape. – Photo: Armindo Neves
