2nd October 2026 – (Macao) Law enforcement in Macao has arrested two Indonesian foreign domestic helpers on suspicion of aiding a loan‑shark network that allegedly lent money at exorbitant rates to compatriots and confiscated their passports. The operation followed an anonymous email tip in July alleging that high‑interest lending was being offered to foreign nationals in the city and that lenders were withholding borrowers’ travel documents. During the inquiry, officers received a separate complaint from an overseas domestic worker who said she borrowed funds from a compatriot in March to cover short‑term needs and subsequently had her passport seized, leaving her unable to leave Macao.
Investigators say the suspected mastermind is an Indonesian woman who left Macao last year after being linked to at least two similar cases. She is alleged to have continued directing activity remotely by phone and online, instructing compatriots in Macao to issue loans, collect repayments and hold passports as leverage. Two Indonesian domestic workers, aged 43 and 41, are accused of assisting from early this year and receiving between MOP50 and MOP100 per transaction.
Officers intercepted and arrested the pair in the central district on Tuesday, 29th September. They have been referred to prosecutors on suspicion of involvement in a criminal organisation and the unlawful retention of identification documents. Authorities said the alleged ringleader and other associates remain at large and are being sought, and urged potential victims—particularly foreign domestic helpers—to report any coercive lending or document seizure.