Illegal online gaming ads resurgent, tackling fake base stations a priority

Text messages and advertisements promoting illegal online gaming have made a comeback. Despite Judiciary Police and the Bureau of Telecommunications Regulation’s (DSRT) efforts made tackling junk message stations – usually referred to as ‘fake base stations’ – in Macau sending out such messages recently, legislator Chan Meng Kam said many residents reported that the phenomenon had resurged and questioned the effectiveness of the government’s operations. In a written reply to the legislator’s enquiry, Cheong Ioc Ieng, Chief of the Office of the Secretary for Security, said such criminality has the characteristics of being very profitable at low cost, with criminal punishment relatively light, resulting in its high likelihood of making a comeback. The security sector says they’ve enhanced patrols around the Border Gate on a regular basis and have asked property management companies to be alert to suspicious individuals. Ms. Cheong said the mission for tackling junk messages has been made by the Secretariat as a priority and is ongoing. Despite agreeing with the legislator that supporting lawful means and systems is fundamental, the police force admitted that making laws or revising laws lies in other specific departments’ hands. The office chief wrote that with regard to legislation, discussions and consultations must be made and consensus reached. The police force will make analysis and appraisals and report immediately in order to give advice in preparation for future law-making. Regional co-operation The security office says that tackling junk message stations requires co-operation with Zhuhai authorities, pointing out that since November last year four operations have been launched, with three cases involving cross-border crime. Besides a long-term co-operation mechanism, Macau and Zhuhai have established intelligence exchange, based on the mutual consent that such criminality is a cross-border operation. Zhuhai authorities can open a case if they receive reports from affected telecommunications companies from Mainland China; when Mainlanders are arrested in Macau, Judiciary Police can transfer the information on identification of the suspects and relevant operations to Zhuhai police, with the approval of the Macau Public Prosecutor’s Office. The police are also aiming to further investigate arrested criminals to seek their employers and mastermind behind the organisation so that the crime will be stifled from origin. Previously, at this year’s policy address of the Secretary for Security, Wong Sio Chak said that police action had had a limited effect in preventing others from setting up junk message stations because the punishment was relatively light, usually involving imprisonment for less than one to three years. Also, if the offender is not local, he or she would be deported and banned from entering Macau but these people can still operate the stations in Mainland China.