KOTA KINABALU: A woman was cheated out of RM2.5mil in a love scam by a man claiming to be South Korean whom she befriended on social media.
The woman gave the suspect the money through 41 bank transfers to 24 bank accounts over two months from May 26, Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Jauteh Dikun told a press conference in Penampang near here Thursday (July 13).
He said the 46-year-old woman, who works as an assistant manager at a private company here, only realised she had been cheated after failing to contact the man before lodging a police report on Wednesday (July 12).
He said police investigations found that the victim met the suspect on Instagram and he had introduced himself as "Ji Won from Korea".
"Their relationship became closer and they started communicating more often through the WhatsApp application," he said.
He said the suspect told the victim that he was running an oil and gas business in Italy but his bank account had problems.
The suspect then asked the woman for financial assistance to help purchase the company's goods.
"Believing the suspect, the victim made 41 payments in stages, into 24 different accounts amounting to RM2.5mil between May 26 and July 4 on the instructions of the suspect," Comm Jauteh said.
He said the victim realised that she was cheated as he continued to ask for more money.
"The victim has lost contact with the suspect," he said, adding that the case is being investigated for cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code.
He urged the public to be cautious of such scammers and they should check the police website http://ccid.rmp.gov.my/
