THE modus operandi of a Macau scam follows a pattern.

First, a victim gets a phone call from an official-sounding person. He is told he has accumulated outstanding loan payments or unpaid fines.

The victim panics and willingly follows the instructions of the “official”, including transferring huge sums of money into certain bank accounts, to supposedly avoid “getting into trouble”.

The scams are reported in newspapers, news portals and social media, yet day in, day out people fall prey to these scammers.

Just last week, the manager of a banking agency lost nearly RM2 million after she was tricked by a Macau scam syndicate member posing as a police officer.

She was told that she had a previous criminal record involving a money-laundering case and was instructed to transfer money to a new bank account to “facilitate an investigation by Bank Negara”. The victim realised she was cheated after the money disappeared from the account.

Another recent similar case involved a teacher who lost nearly RM1.13 million after she was deceived by an individual impersonating a police officer. The victim was duped into believing that her vehicle was involved in an accident and that she was engaged in money-laundering activities.

News reports in August 2019 quoted the then Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigations Department director Mohd Zakaria Ahmad as saying that thousands of Malaysians lose an average of RM2 billion each year to Macau scams, e-commerce fraud and love scams, all committed through the internet or phone calls. 

In Malaysia, Macau scams are categorised as telecommunication fraud. According to criminologist and psychologist Associate Prof Dr Geshina Ayu Mat Saat, it is easy for people to fall victim to syndicates out to fleece them of their money simply because they are not aware that they are being duped.   

“The syndicate members are very cunning and disguise themselves as officers who sound very authoritative over the phone and can make their victims feel anxious and panicky, as well as create in them the desire to protect themselves against any legal action,” she said.

She told Bernama people are deceived by these fraudsters as they not only appear to be credible and legitimate but also use the visceral approach to evoke an emotional response from their victims who without further thought easily succumb to their threats, pressure, greed and extortions.

Geshina Ayu, who is a lecturer in forensic science at Universiti Sains Malaysia, said apathy among the public to familiarise themselves with the subtle techniques employed by scammers was also among the factors why people continue to get conned.

She said in 2017 the police pointed out that the Macau scam has four different modus operandi, namely lucky draw where the victims received a phone call claiming that they had won millions of dollars in lucky draws; spoofing or impersonating a police officer or government officer; bank spoofing or impersonating a bank officer; and impersonating a kidnapper where the victim was told that his/her family member has been kidnapped and a ransom must be paid immediately.

However, studies and official reports from outside Malaysia have shown that the modus operandi of these Macau scammers is much more extensive.

Geshina Ayu urged the public to update or change the security settings of their personal computers and financial transaction websites.  

She said the Federal Commercial Crime Investigation Department’s Semak Mule portal, launched last year, can be accessed by the public to check bank accounts or phone numbers that have been linked to criminal activities.

Besides Macau scams, money laundering – which refers to concealing the origins of money obtained illegally – is another activity that has surfaced in recent times.

It was reported last week that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) detained 10 individuals, including eight senior police officers, and seized cash amounting to RM100,000 in connection with investigations into an online gambling, money laundering and Macau scam syndicate.

MACC seized 730 bank accounts worth RM80 million belonging to the syndicate members, including celebrities. Also seized were 24 luxury cars believed to have been purchased with the syndicate’s ill-gotten gains. – Bernama, October 12, 2020.