BATU PAHAT: A tuition teacher who wanted to buy second-hand books online lost more than RM200,000 in a fake investment scheme.
Batu Pahat OCPD Asst Comm Ismail Dollah said the 48-year-old woman contacted a man via Facebook and later WhatsApp on Aug 11 to purchase the used items.
During their conversation, the suspect told the victim about an investment scheme that promised high returns.
The suspect then sent the victim a link for her to click on, which she did, said ACP Ismail in a statement on Tuesday (Sept 12).
"To gain her trust, the suspect told the victim to use his login ID and password to see that he had earnings of US$200,000 (RM935,000) in his account that have yet to be cashed out.
"The suspect apparently also told the victim that she would get the returns after 10pm daily besides assuring her that she would get back all the money she pumped in, along with some discount vouchers, he said,
ACP Ismail added that the victim was attracted to the deal and transferred money amounting to RM206,000 into five different bank accounts from Aug 25 to Sept 5.
"The woman realised she had been duped when she did not get the high returns and vouchers as promised," he said.
ACP Ismail said the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
"The public is once again reminded not to fall for the so-called investment schemes that promise high returns.
"Do not hesitate to check with the authorities before transferring large sums of money to strangers," he said.
The public can visit https://semakmule.rmp.gov.my to check if any bank accounts or phone numbers have been associated with suspicious activities to avoid falling victim to scams.
