JOHOR BARU: A 57-year-old deliveryman here lost RM34,800 in a fake investment scheme advertised on social media.
Johor Baru South OCPD Asst Comm Raub Selamat said the victim came across a Facebook post about the investment opportunity on Nov 21 and decided to give it a try.
“The victim connected with a foreign woman called Lily on the social media platform," he said in a statement on Tuesday (Dec 31).
"They later moved their conversation to WhatsApp via a foreign-registered number.
“At first, the woman allegedly asked the victim to replace her at her part-time job.
“She later asked the victim to contact another foreign woman, whom she claimed was an investment coach who could provide him investment guidance."
ACP Raub said the victim was convinced to put RM34,800 from his savings into an investment scheme by transferring money to six separate bank accounts between Dec 2 and Sunday (Dec 28).
“When the victim was asked to deposit an additional RM14,881.30 into another bank account to cash out, he realised that he had been scammed,” he said, adding that the victim did not perform the seventh transaction.
He said the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating, which carries a penalty of up to seven years’ imprisonment, a fine between RM10,000 and RM100,000, or both upon conviction.
He urged the public to use the Semak Mule portal to check suspicious accounts before making transactions.
Those who have fallen victim to a scam can also contact the National Scam Response Centre at 997 immediately, he added.
