JOHOR BARU: A 30-year-old public servant here has lost RM35,506 in an investment scam.
Johor Baru South OCPD Asst Comm Raub Selamat said the victim was enticed by promises of a 15% return on investment.
“The victim first interacted with the suspect, who introduced herself as ‘Farah Sulaiman’, via Facebook on Oct 24.
“The conversation later continued on WhatsApp. The suspect convinced the victim to make six transactions to various bank accounts between Oct 26 and 31,” ACP Raub said in a statement on Tuesday (Nov 19).
“The suspect demanded additional payments, saying they needed to release the investment profits.
“Realising he had been deceived, the victim lodged a police report on Monday (Nov 18),” he said.
In an unrelated case, ACP Raub said police are investigating an online part-time job scam resulting in a loss of RM54,440.
“The victim, a 30-year-old salesman, lodged a report at the Majidee police station on Saturday (Nov 16).
“He came across a job advertisement on Facebook on Oct 7, and later communicated with unknown individuals via several Telegram accounts.
“He was informed that his task involved gifting streamers on a particular website, with a promise of a 10% commission within 20 minutes,” he said.
He added that the victim proceeded to make nine transactions to eight different bank accounts between Oct 8 and Nov 12.
“Although his job account displayed an accumulated amount of RM58,532, he was unable to withdraw the funds and eventually realised he had been scammed,” he said.
He added that police have identified several bank accounts involved in both cases and are conducting further verifications with banks, telecommunications companies, and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to trace the suspects.
Both cases are being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment, whipping and a fine upon conviction.
“Always verify the legitimacy of any investment or job offers through relevant agencies or authorities before making any financial transactions,” ACP Raub said, stressing the importance of community cooperation in fighting scams.
