JOHOR BARU: Two men have lost a total of RM1.2mil after falling prey to two separate scams here.
Johor police chief Comm M. Kumar said the first case involved a 57-year-old businessman who lost RM733,597 in a job scam.
The second victim was a 41-year-old assistant manager who lost RM472,400 to a fake investment scheme.
“In the first case, the victim contacted an unknown individual on April 22 through a messaging app to ask about a part-time job promoted online.
“He was enticed by the promised returns and registered an account on a website given by the scammer so that he could carry out the required tasks.
“His first task was to purchase some cosmetics and sports goods. The victim was also told to make payments amounting to RM267,000 as part of the requirement,” Comm Kumar said in a statement yesterday.
He added that after the victim made the payments, the website indicated that he had made some RM70,000 in profits.
“He wanted to withdraw the money but when he tried, he was told to make more payments.
“This led him to believe that something was amiss as he did not receive any of the returns promised, nor did he get his own money back,” he said.
The second victim was duped into investing in what appeared to be an overseas college after he came across an advertisement.
“The victim reached out to the contact person to ask about the investment and was told he could enjoy high returns.
“The victim decided to invest and downloaded an online app purportedly to monitor his portfolio.
“He made an investment of over RM472,400. However, when the time came for him to cash out, he was unable to do so.
“The suspect gave all kinds of excuses, and that was when the victim realised that he had fallen into the scammer’s trap,” said Comm Kumar.
He said both cases are being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
