The number of suspected cybercrimes rose 55 percent year-on-year to 78 cases in the first five months of this year, the Public Prosecution Office (MP) said in a statement Wednesday.
According to the statement, the office instituted 43 proceedings in the five-month period to investigate suspected cybercrimes.
A total of 36 cybercrime suspects were detained between January and May, comprising 16 locals, five Hong Kong citizens, one mainlander and 14 suspects from other jurisdictions.
In one of the cases, 17 suspects were detained for their alleged involvement in using computer equipment to defraud several local casinos.
The statement said that due to the rapid development of the IT sector, there was a need to update the city’s legislation on cybercrimes that currently are regulated by a law enacted in 2009.
The maximum prison term for a cybercrime amounts to 10 years.(macaunews)
