IPOH: It started out with what was supposed to be a love story for a hawker, but ended with threats that nude videos of him would be posted on social media.
The 47-year-old man said the scam began when he befriended a woman, claiming to be from China, with the handle “Rhenibelle Petry” on Facebook.
“I added her on Facebook on July 25 and then we connected through WhatsApp. On July 27 around 11 pm, she convinced me to undress during a video call, claiming she would do the same.
“Unfortunately, she recorded the video and threatened to spread it on social media if I didn’t pay her RM3,000,” he said.
The next day, on July 28, two other scammers called him from a Malaysian contact number, demanding the money be transferred to a local woman’s account.
Following the threat, the hawker sought help from Perak Barisan Nasional public service and complaints centre chief Mohd Rawi Abdullah.
“I was afraid the video would be spread across social media, so I quickly sought help from Mohd Rawi and decided to reveal the matter through this press conference.
“Mohd Rawi advised me to pressure the scammers for a Chinese account number to transfer the money, and they have remained silent since,” he said.
Mohd Rawi confirmed that a police report was lodged on July 29 at the Sungai Senam police station.
He said his main concern in organising the press conference was to highlight the high number of mule accounts.
“Scammers milk money from their victims through mule accounts,” he said, adding that banks should shut these accounts.
Mohd Rawi said that he would also be writing to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to shut the scammer’s account.
