An unemployed Filipina was arrested on Tuesday for cheating five Nepali men out of 110,000 patacas as purported fees for allegedly helping them to find jobs in Macau, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Lai Man Vai said during a special press conference yesterday.
The 28-year-old suspect surnamed Bayucan told the police that she is unemployed. She had worked as a domestic helper but recently resigned and was staying legally in Macau.
According to Lai, the five Nepalis, aged between 25 and 35, reported to the police on Sunday that they had been cheated by Bayucan who told them she could help them find jobs as security guards with a monthly payment of 13,000 patacas.
They told the police that four of the five victims had previously worked as security guards and were dismissed recently. One of the victims found the suspect’s purported job offers on a social media platform in late April and contacted her to discuss details. Bayucan told him that he could start work 10 days after submitting his personal documents and paying 25,000 patacas as a “referral fee”.
The victim then told his four compatriots about the job offer and they all handed their personal documents to the suspect and paid her a total of 110,000 patacas in “referral fees,” as one of the victims could only come up with 10,000 patacas. After receiving the money, Bayucan later told them that she was unable to find jobs for them. The victims then reported the case to the police, Lai said.
The police arrested her on Tuesday in Taipa. The suspect admitted that she used some of the ill-gotten money to repay her debts, while she remitted the remainder to her family, according to Lai.
Bayucan was transferred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) yesterday, facing a fraud charge involving a considerable amount, officially defined as between 30,000 and 150,000 patacas, according to Lai.
The hooded Philippine fraud suspect is escorted by Judiciary Police (PJ) officers from the PJ headquarters in Zape to a vehicle yesterday. Photo: Iong Tat Choi
