Macau scam
The term “Macau scam” was coined as it is believed that the con originated from Macau or that the first victims came from there. But this has never been confirmed.
HOW SCAMMERS WORK
1. THE CALL
Scammers will assume fake identities and introduce themselves as police officers, bank officers, court clerks, an officer with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), postal workers or various others.
2. THE TALE
> Scammers will spin a fake story to scare victims into believing they are in trouble. Among the tales they’ve cooked up include claiming illicit items being found in packages, bank accounts being used for money laundering, overdue credit card debt and owing the Inland Revenue Board a large amount in outstanding taxes.
> Scammers are also likely to refer victims to a “higher ranking officer” to make the ruse more believable.
3. THE TRAP
After convincing their victims that they are in trouble, scammers would then get them to download a fake app to get their banking details or get victims to transfer money into given accounts.
4. THE GETAWAY
Perpetrators will then leave with the money and victims will only realise later that they have been duped.
DON’T BE A VICTIM!
1. Don’t panic when you receive a call from someone claiming to be from the authorities.
2. Remember, government and law enforcement agencies cannot transfer calls between themselves to investigate fraud. For example, Bank Negara Malaysia cannot transfer the call to the police and vice versa.
3. Police will never call and threaten to arrest anyone so be wary of calls claiming they will.
4. Do not blindly follow the scammer’s instructions and disclose personal or banking details.
5. When in doubt, check with the organisation the scammer claims to represent by dialing their official numbers. Do not redial or call back any number that was given during the call.
RECENT CASES
FEBRUARY
2021
Retiree lodges police report after scammers duped her into parting with close to RM1mil in September.
JANUARY
Johor police busts Macau Ring scam that invested ill-gotten gains worth RM336mil into property and cryptocurrency.
DECEMBER
2020
A senior citizen loses RM1.8mil to scammers posing as Pos Laju officials.
OCTOBER
> Former piano teacher in Klang loses almost all of her RM4mil inheritance to scammers.
> MACC cripples syndicate involved in Macau Scam and illegal gambling, and freezes 730 accounts with RM80mil in them.
> A 49-year-old teacher loses RM1.13mil to a Macau scam syndicate impersonating the police.
JULY
> Retired teacher, 71, in Petaling Jaya loses RM1mil to scammers impersonating Pos Laju personnel and police. > Nonagenarian in Petaling Jaya loses RM3.8mil to scammers using the same modus operandi.