JOHOR BARU: A 62-year-old hardware store owner has lost a total of RM3.4mil over a period of six years after falling victim to a scam.
Johor police chief Comm M. Kumar said that the man was approached by a local woman in January 2018 who claimed to be the manager of a local bank in Kuala Lumpur.
"The woman presented the victim a 'fixed deposit scheme' which promised a good return rate.
"The victim was hooked and started making payments," he said in a statement here on Tuesday (May 7).
Comm Kumar said the victim handed over four banker's cheques and six cheques with a total value of RM3.4mil between April 3, 2019 and March 23, 2023, with the name resembling a local bank as the payee.
He added that the victim also said he once received an "interest payment" of RM70,000 in 2020, which is why he did not suspect anything and continued to make investments.
"However, the victim smelt something fishy when he tried to withdraw some of his profits but was met with various excuses.
"The victim then checked with the bank implicated and was told all the payment receipts he had received were fake and there was no such fixed deposit account under his or his company's names.
"All of the money he paid had been transferred to another individual's account," he said, adding that the victim lodged a police report on May 5.
The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
"We would like to remind the public to follow the Commercial Crime Investigation Department's (CCID) social media account so that they are aware of scam tactics.
"They can also check the Semak Mule portal before making any payments or download the Whoscall application to reduce the risk of being targeted by scammers.
"Those who have fallen victim are encouraged to call the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997 as an early prevention step to avoid any financial transfer from the suspect accounts," he added.
