Compiled by C. ARUNO and BENJAMIN LEE
SCAMMERS pretending to be investment gurus are luring victims into parting with their hard-earned money, according to Sin Chew Daily.
These “experts” will add victims into WhatsApp groups and share tips on how to invest in the stock market.
To make the scam more believable, people in the group chat will often post photos of themselves with mansions and luxury vehicles.
According to a police source, many of these “testimonials” were often posted by a single person pretending to be multiple people in an effort to gain the victims’ trust and boost the so-called guru’s credibility.
They will next encourage victims to “invest” using a fake trading platform.
The victims will not realise that they have been duped until they fail to withdraw their returns.
The source added that an investment scheme known as Sencapital, which runs a WhatsApp group named JP Morgan Business School, used similar tactics to deceive 42 victims – 70% of them retirees – of RM6.71mil since November last year.
He warned the public to be wary when they are added into unknown chat groups and not to transfer money to people they do not know.
Deputy Communication and Digital Minister Teo Nie Ching said Malaysians lost RM600mil to online scams in 2022 alone.
She added that for every fake account reported, a new one would be created.
“The only way to avoid falling into a trap is to get the public to perform due diligence whenever they get added to any chat group,” she said.
Teo urged those who believe they have been cheated to call the National Scam Response Centre for help.
Coming back stronger: Lee said she will fully focus on her career and plans to hold a concert later this year.
> The daily also reported that Malaysian singer Jess Lee broke down publicly when speaking about her recent break-up from her boyfriend of four years after he was suspected to have cheated on her.
She said she had been unaware of his indiscretions until her friends told her about them.
In the aftermath of their split, Lee, 35, lost more than 10kg, causing her family and friends to worry about her health.
Lee, who is originally from Seremban, said her sister stayed by her side in Taiwan and encouraged her to make new friends.
She added that right now, she would fully focus on her career and planned to hold a concert later this year.
> Hong Kong actor Carlos Chan announced that he and singer Shiga Lin will get hitched on April 24, Sin Chew Daily also reported.
The 36-year-old released four pre-wedding photos taken in Japan and Hong Kong.
“This time, we set foot on a beach again to watch the sunset, count the stars and revisit the romance we enjoyed at the beginning of our relationship,” he posted.
In the photos, Chan is in a tuxedo while Lin is in a flowing wedding gown.
Eagle-eyed Internet users spotted a large diamond ring on Lin’s finger.
According to Chan, the shoot itself took a team of 20 – including makeup artists and photographers – to complete.
Lin later wrote on Instagram saying that the effort was well worth it.
“It is not easy to search for someone who can count the stars by my side and watch anime with me, but I have found him!” she said.
The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.
