The Courts and the public prosecutions office (MP) are increasingly concerned by the rise in scams in Macau in recent years.
Song described the various types of scams, particularly those carried out over the phone or the internet, as highly problematic, stressing their serious consequences for society.
“Taking the example of first judicial interrogations, statements for future memory, and the application of coercive measures, these three types of judicial processes within the Criminal Investigation Court registered an increase of 94.12% (from 85 to 165 cases), 77.46% (from 244 to 433 cases) and 65.38% (from 156 to 258 cases) respectively, compared to the previous judicial year. Scams ranked first in all three types,” she said.
She added, “Among them, telecommunication scams stand out – carried out by fraudsters pretending to be employees of the police, Public Prosecutor’s Office, and the courts, as well as ‘guess who I am’ phone scams that mainly target the elderly.”
Song noted these types of scams employ varied techniques, with each victim losing sums ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of patacas.
New blood in the judiciary was well-needed
