BATU PAHAT: A 54-year-old woman lost more than half a million ringgit after falling for a fake investment scam here.
Batu Pahat OCPD Asst Comm Ismail Dollah said the police received a report from the victim on Saturday (Jan 13) at the Parit Raja Police Station in Batu Pahat, after realising she had been duped.
“According to the victim, she had stumbled upon an advertisement on Facebook regarding an investment opportunity. She then received a WhatsApp link after clicking it.
“She had been exchanging conversation with a woman from China when she was instructed to download an app dubbed ‘PFG Group’.
“The victim had also given away her personal information, such as her name, IC number, and bank account details, for registration purposes,” he said in a statement here on Sunday (Jan 14).
The victim, who worked as a technician, then transferred RM314,000 in stages to three different company accounts, he added.
“She then checked her investment account and found that she had ‘gained’ revenue worth RM2.03mil.
“The company then requested another payment of RM240,000 if she wanted to withdraw the money she had won,” he said, adding that the victim had made a total payment of RM554,000.
However, after making the payment, the victim was informed that her account had been frozen due to her involvement in money laundering, he added.
“Up until today, the victim has not received her money back.
“We would like to remind members of the public not to fall for any scam tactics, especially those that offer high returns in a short amount of time,” said ACP Ismail.
The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
