Two women defrauded in ‘public procuratorate’ phone scam

Alocal young woman lost nearly 42,000 patacas and another woman fell victim to a phone scam impersonating Macau authorities, according to the police.

The scam targeted the two women earlier this month. The young victim reported a loss of 41,700 patacas, while the other woman did not lose any money, said the police chief, who has taken over the investigation of both cases.

In the first incident, the young woman received a call on March 20 from a man claiming to be an immigration officer. He said her phone number was registered to spread gambling information in mainland China and she needed to manage it or face restrictions entering and leaving the country.

As the woman believed the claims, the scammer transferred the call to a “police officer” in mainland China. He said the woman was involved in a 2 million pataca money laundering case with multiple victims. The “officer” coerced the victim into downloading communication software and providing bank details. She deposited 30,000 patacas on March 24 and another 11,700 patacas the next day.

In the second incident, a woman received a call on March 5 from a man posing as a telecom manager, saying fraudulent donation messages had been sent from her number. Transferred to “public security,” she downloaded software and provided details as instructed. She later realized it was a scam after discussing it with friends.

The police chief is investigating both cases of fraud impersonating Macau authorities. People are warned to beware of these types of scam calls.