The Judiciary Police advises the public Watch out for “recycling used object scam”
The Judiciary Police (PJ) has recently received reports from residents who alleged they had come across posts online claiming to "recycle used pianos" or "recycle old electrical appliances." Following a discussion with the person who made the posts, individuals were instructed to download an unspecified mobile app and pay a small "service fee" via the app. The victims later discovered there were unauthorized charges on their credit cards.
The modus operandi is as follows:
1. A victim came across posts on social networking platforms offering to "recycle used pianos" or "recycle old electrical appliances" and contacted the "customer service representative."
2. After agreeing on the quantity and price for recycling, the representative instructed the victim to download a specific mobile app via an unidentified link.
3. Upon downloading the app, victims had to register an account, provide their personal address, and pay a "service fee" of 10 Macao patacas using a credit card.
4. Victims later discovered that tens of thousands of Macao patacas had been fraudulently charged to their credit cards, at which point they realized they had been scammed.
PJ’s Anti-Fraud Coordination Center advises the public not to download and install mobile apps from unknown sources to prevent the interception of sensitive personal information, bank accounts, or credit card details. When in doubt, they can use the Judiciary Police's "Anti-Fraud Program" to check the call’s risk index or contact the anti-fraud enquiry hotline at 88007777 or the crime report hotline at 993 for assistance.