Global Remittances Company Limited

Complaint Hotline (+853 63310018)

Report of Frauds

Reminder To Valuable Customers

If any customers have been victimized by scammers, please be proactive and report your case to Global Remittances Company Limited (GRC Tel +853 28880001 or Complaint Hotline +853 63310018) and/or law enforcement agency (Macau Judicial Police 24-hour Anti-Fraud Enquiry Hotline +853 88007777 or 24-hour Fraud Report Hotline +853 993). These are important steps to help prevent frauds and protect others from falling victim to scams.

GRC commit significant resources, funding, people and technology to fight frauds and help protect consumers from being victimized.

GRC care about people who use the remittance services, it is because customers work hard for their money, which is why GRC fight frauds and help to educate them about various types of fraud and how to protect themselves. By working together with the law enforcement agency to educate the customers, GRC can help prevent customers from becoming victims of fraud.

GRC Complaint Hotline

If any of the customers used GRC remittance service and believed the transaction was fraudulent, please call GRC immediately. Please tell GRC what happened and contact GRC as soon as possible by calling GRC Complaint Hotline (+853 63310018). If the remittance has not been paid to the recipient, then GRC can request the overseas paying agent to stop the transaction and refund to the customer (remitter).

Report to Law Enforcement Agency

Reporting fraud can lead to more awareness and better education. GRC encourage customers to contact the local law enforcement agency if they believed that there were victims of fraud. Customers can also contact the Consumer Council in Macau for assistance if necessary.

Reporting fraud is critical. It helps educate other customers and can give the law enforcement agency information about the latest frauds in Macau. GRC cooperates closely with the law enforcement agencies to help in the investigation and prosecution of the people who take advantage of remittance services to commit fraud.

Questions and Answers

Knowledge can protect you as a remitter. You work hard for your money and you want a company you can rely on when it comes to sending your money to friends and family. That is why GRC want to help you protect yourself from frauds.

1. What should I do if I think I have been scammed?

Please call GRC Complaint Hotline (+853 63310018) immediately. If you have sent money through GRC but the money has not yet been paid out to the recipient, you may be able to stop the remittance transaction.

2. What happens when I file a fraud claim?

After you file a claim with GRC Complaint Hotline (+853 63310018) and report your case to the local law enforcement agency, GRC will work directly with the law enforcement agency as requested.

GRC will cooperate closely with the police organizations around the world, but the fact that recipients can pick up the funds anytime, from a broad number of locations. Therefore, GRC will try the best to cooperate with the law enforcement agencies and to help in the investigation and prosecution of the people who take advantage of remittance services to commit fraud.

3. Will GRC refund my money?

If you have transferred money through GRC and the money has not yet been picked up, please call GRC Complaint Hotline (+853 63310018) as soon as possible to stop the remittance transaction.

If the money has not yet been picked up by the recipient, you will get a full refund but excluding the remittance fee and/or the fee charged by the overseas paying agent if any.

If your money has been picked up by the recipient and you suspect that you are a victim of fraud, GRC encourages you to file an official fraud claim with GRC and to report your case to the local law enforcement agency through the hotlines mentioned above.

All reported cases to GRC will be reviewed to determine if a refund will be permitted. GRC work very hard to identify fraudulent remittance transactions and prevent them from going through GRC system, but scammers are savvy, and their tactics have changed constantly. The best way to stop fraud is to learn how to identify fraudsters and scams.

4. What is GRC doing to prevent fraud?

GRC is committed to keeping customers from losing their hard-earned money to scammers. That is why GRC has implemented measures to stop that from happening, including:

- Fraud warning reminder;
- Fraud prevention information provided to customers; and
- Fraud prevention tips and resources as attached.

Attachment - Fraud types

While the internet has connected the world to more information than ever, today the digital age has made it easier for scammers to perpetrate their fraudulent activity. From faux social media postings to password phishing for financial accounts, scammers have found countless ways to get their hands on the money of other people. They use any means to contact victims, by mobile phone, snail mail, email, and the Internet. They gain your trust and when they have you hooked, they ask you for money, and then they take it and run away. The scenarios used to lure you are changing constantly. But you can protect yourself and your friends and family by arming yourself with knowledge of the most common types of fraud.

Advanced Fee / Prepayment Scam

Victim is asked to pay upfront fees for financial services which are never provided. Victims often send a succession of transactions for payment of various upfront fees. Common methods could include: credit card, grants, loans, inheritance, or investment.

Anti-Virus Scam

Victim is contacted by someone claiming they are from a well-known computer or software company and a virus has been detected on the victim's computer. The victim is advised that the virus can be removed and the computer protected for a small fee with a payment by either credit card or a money transfer. In reality, there was no virus on the computer and the victim has just lost the money they sent for the protection.

Charity Scam

The victim is often contacted by email, mail or mobile phone by someone asking for a donation to be sent by money transfer to an individual to help victims of a recent current event, such as a disaster or emergency (such as a flood, cyclone, or earthquake). Legitimate charity organizations will never ask for donations to be sent to an individual through a money transfer service.

Emergency Scam

Victim is led to believe that they are sending funds to assist a friend or loved one in urgent need. Victim sends the money with urgency as the victim's natural concern for a loved one is exploited.

Employment Scam

Victim responds to a job posting and is hired for the fictitious job and sent a fake check for job related expenses. Check amount exceeds the victim's expenses and victim sends remaining funds back using a money transfer. The check bounces and the victim is responsible for the full amount.

Extortion

Threats to life, arrest or other demands by scammers to unlawfully obtain money, property or services from a victim through coercion that they supposedly owe and threatens if they do not cooperate.

Fake Cheque Scam

Victims are often sent a cheque as a part of a scam and told to deposit the cheque and use the funds for employment expenses, internet purchases, mystery shopping, etc. The cheque is fake (counterfeit), and the victim is left responsible for any funds used from the cheque. Remember, funds from a cheque deposited into an account should not be used until the cheque officially clears which can take weeks if payable abroad.

Grandparent Scam

This scam is a variation on the Emergency Scam. The victim is contacted by an individual pretending to be a grandchild in distress, or a person of authority such as a medical professional, law enforcement officer, or attorney. The fraudster describes an urgent situation or emergency (bail, medical expenses, emergency travel funds) involving the grandchild that requires a money transfer to be sent immediately. No emergency has occurred, and the victim who sent money to help their grandchild has lost their money.

Identity Theft

Identity thieves use personal information (e.g., Social Security numbers, bank account information and credit card numbers) to pose as another individual. This may include opening a credit account, draining an existing account, filing tax returns or obtaining medical coverage.

Immigration Scam

Victim receives a call from someone claiming to be an immigration official saying there is a problem with the victim's immigration record. Personal information and sensitive details related to the victim's immigration status may be provided to make the story seem more legitimate. Immediate payment is demanded to fix any issues with the victim's record and deportation or imprisonment may be threatened if payment is not made immediately by money transfer.

Internet Purchase Scam

Victims could be the buyer or a seller of items (e.g. pets, cars) or services advertised online through Craigslist, eBay, Alibaba, Gumtree, carsales.com, etc. Scammers pretending to be legitimate online sellers, either with a fake website or a fake advertisement on a genuine site selling an item at a low price. They ask you to pay using a money order, pre-loaded money card or money transfer, after the money is sent, the victim never receives the merchandise or service. Scammers also pretend to be legitimate buyers by sending more than the selling price, and asks the seller to wire the difference back to them via a money transfer.

Lottery/Prize Scam

Victim is told that they have won a lottery, prize or sweepstakes and that money must be sent to cover the taxes or fees on the winnings. The victim may receive a check for part of the winnings and once the cheque is deposited and money is sent, the cheque bounces.

Money-Flipping Scam

Social media is being used to lure new victims into an old get-rich-quick scam where users are advertising ways to turn $100 into $1,000 by "flipping money". The pitch suggests investors can take advantage of quirks in the monetary system to leverage additional cash and turn a few hundred dollars into thousands. Once con artists have access to the cash, they often block the victim from contacting them via social media or phone number.

Military

Military service members are an appealing target for scammers for several reasons. They are abusing the wide-spread admiration for the military and posing as service men and women in order to trick people into sending them money.

Mystery Shopping Scam

The fraudster contacts the victim through an employment website, or the victim responds to an advertisement about an employment opportunity to evaluate a money transfer service. The fraudster often sends the victim a cheque to deposit and instructs the victim to send a money transfer, keeping a portion of the cheque for their pay. The victim sends the money, the fraudster picks it up, and when the cheque bounces the victim is left responsible for the full amount.

Overpayment Scam

The fraudster sends the victim a cheque that appears to be valid as payment for a service or product. Typically, the amount of the cheque exceeds what the victim expects to receive, and the fraudster tells the victim to send the excess back using a money transfer. When the cheque bounces, the victim is left responsible for the full amount.

Phishing

Communication impersonating a trustworthy entity, such as a bank or mortgage company, intended to mislead the victim into providing personal information or passwords. A Phish is a fraudulent attempt, usually made through email (although it can also be made via phone or text), to steal your personal information or propagate malicious code or software onto your computer.

Relationship Scam

Victim is led to believe that they have a personal relationship with someone they met online often by social media, in an online forum or on a dating website. The victim is often emotionally invested, often referring to the recipient as a fiancee.

Rental Property Scam

Victim sends money for deposit on a rental property and never receives access to the rental property or the victim may also be the property owner who is sent a cheque from the renter and asked to send a portion of the cheque back using a money transfer and the cheque bounces.

Social Networking Scam

If a cybercriminal gains access to your social media accounts, they also gain access to your close friends and family. Criminals and con artists can take advantage of how much personal information people share online, and then use this information to make skillful and highly targeted pitches to their friends and family, often involving requests for money.

SMS/Smishing

Beware of texts that spark urgency, asking you to click on a link, taking you to a compromised site, or get you to unwittingly divulge some personal information that could be used against you.

Tax Scam

Victim is contacted by someone claiming to be from a governmental agency saying that money is owed for taxes, and it must be paid immediately to avoid arrest, deportation or suspension of driver's license/passport. The victim is instructed to send a money transfer or purchase a pre-loaded debit card to pay the taxes. Government agencies will never demand immediate payment or call about taxes without first having mailed a bill.

Telemarketing

Telemarketing broadly covers almost any commercial transaction that involves the use of a telephone to place or receive calls between a consumer and a telemarketer or seller for the transferring of funds, such as cash-to-cash money transfers or funds loaded onto a prepaid card, as payment for goods or services offered or sold through telemarketing, often relating to a promotion for a "free" or heavily discounted vacation, prize or sweepstakes scams, or the sale of "bargain" magazines.