Personal Finance 101: Know what is Macau Scam!
It’s so hard to earn, save and invest, please do not lose it to Macau Scam yeah
There are 4 ways we can retire comfortably. First is to earn enough salary (means work hard, work smart, grab opportunities etc). Second is to save no matter how small or hard. Savings is needed for the next level which is Invest. Third is Invest our savings so that it will now generate returns on top of our own monthly salary. Last but not least is to protect what we have with insurance etc. Today, we talk about PROTECTING what we have from Macau scam.
Macau Scam
What is Macau Scam?
According to Bank Negara Malaysia, this is the Macau Scam explanation: You receive calls where the scammer impersonates banks or a public official to trick you into disclosing your personal banking details or transfer money into another third-party account. Do refer to the source here
Types of Macau Scam?
Source: https://siberkasa.cybersecurity.my/articles/macau-scam
#1 – Credit Card Trick
Modus operandi: A con artist contacts a victim by impersonating a bank officer and states that the victim’s name and details have been used to create a credit card registered on behalf of the victim. The victim, who denies the matter, is informed by the suspect to resolve the matter by being connected to the phone line of Bank Negara. The victim then contacts the second suspect who serves as a National Bank officer and orders a money transfer to the account provided for security purposes. The suspect also promises to return the money within seven days after the investigation is complete before it disappears.
#2 – Police Officer/Bank Officer/Authority Officer Trick
Modus operandi: The con artist disguises as a police, bank or other authority officer to deceive a victim by contacting and threatening the victim by phone. They will notify that the victim has committed a criminal act, such as a hit-and-run, giving or receiving bribes, money laundering, etc. The con artist will also offer a fee to close the case if the victim does not wish to be prosecuted. Victims who are deceived by this trick will make a transaction to a given account.
#3 – Lottery and Lucky Draw Trick
Modus operandi: Victims receive notifications of winning a lottery or lucky draw via phone call or SMS. They are asked to make upfront payments to claim the winnings. In some cases, victims are told they have won a valuable asset such as a car or a condominium overseas. They are told they could convert the valuable assets into cash, but they would first have to make a payment, usually to a foreign bank account.
#4 – Impersonating kidnappers
Modus Operandi: A victim receives a phone call from someone claiming the victim’s child or a family member had been kidnapped. The victim is told to urgently pay the requested ransom amount stated by the caller to a third-party bank account, although there was no abduction.
Who are the targets of Macau Scam?
#1 – Seniors and retirees
These people usually have more money and accumulated wealth than young people. They are also not up to date or aware of the latest scams, making them attractive targets for scammers.
#2 – Rich and wealthy people
Because they have much money, wealthy people are among the favourites for Macau scammers. Scammers disguise as police, Bank Negara or other authority officers to trap victims. A con artist notifies the victim of having committed some crime and announces that their bank account has been suspended and will be frozen for an investigation. This ought to make the victims nervous and follow the instructions. Since these people know they have a lot of money in the bank and worry about losing it, some may readily follow all the instructions given by the scammer.
#3 – Easily distressed individuals
Some people have an overthinking and distressed mindset. These kinds of people can easily panic, so imagine if a scammer claims the victim has committed a crime or a family member was kidnapped and requests a money transfer as soon as possible.
How to prevent ourselves from being scammed?
- Always be vigilant and do not be easily fooled by the tricks of certain parties;
- Never panic or follow the instructions given by the caller without first contacting the police or financial institution concerned;
- Do not call back the phone number from which you received the call. Instead, get the official phone number of the company, organization or institution for further verification;
- Never disclose personal details or the details of any of your accounts to anyone for the purpose of verifying your identity;
- If you believe it was a fake call, file a police report and provide a recording of the phone call or any notes you have recorded to facilitate police investigation, or report to Cyber999;
- Visit BNM’s official portal for the latest information and advice on financial fraud.
Please do read more great information here: https://siberkasa.cybersecurity.my/articles/macau-scam
My personal experience of people trying to scam me?
On average at least weekly. Informing me that I have some credit card transactions. Pretending they are calling from the bank, from the Bank Negara, from some amazing financial institutions etc. A call to tell me that I have a package which cannot be released by the immigration. A call where it’s like a dialing machine and asked me to press 1 for whatever. Hello… you call me and ask me to press an extension? Haha. Hopefully, I will always be able to stay vigilant. This is also why I am writing this article here. Ensuring I am also updated too.
Thank you for sharing.
Happy reading!Property News Malaysia? Sign up for daily investment news updates (FREE since Nov 2013 and FOREVER).
Alternatively, Follow me on Telegram here.
Please LIKE kopiandproperty.com FB page to get daily updates about the property market beyond kopiandproperty.com articles.
Else, follow me on Twitter here.
Next suggested article: When rates rise, buying falls, financial logic right?
One Response
Recently with AI voice and many more, even you heard the voice is from your brother/sister, it could be fake too… Stay alert and calm for all time…