PLANNING MANAGER LOSES OVER RM314,000 TO NON-EXISTENT INVESTMENT SCAM

ALOR SETAR, Sept 30 (Bernama) -- A 43-year-old planning manager lost more than RM314,000 after falling victim to a non-existent online investment scam since April.

Kedah Commercial Crime Investigation Department chief Loi Yew Lik said the victim was browsing Facebook and was drawn to an investment offer advertised on the social media platform.

“The victim clicked on the link in the advertisement, which led her to join an investment under the name of CMB International Capital. She communicated with several individuals via WhatsApp, with the numbers suspected to be from overseas.

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“They promised the victim a return of 570 per cent within two to three weeks on the amount invested. Believing the promise, she transferred a total of RM314,100 in stages to three different accounts between Aug 4 and Sept 23,” he said in a statement here today.

Initially, the victim received a return of RM5,000, but later, she stopped receiving any payouts and was asked to transfer additional funds if she wanted to obtain both the promised returns and her capital.

“The victim became suspicious and realised she had been cheated. She lodged a police report at the Kulim district police headquarters at 8.15 pm yesterday. The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code,” he said.

He said police checks found that CMB International Capital exists and is registered in Hong Kong, but it is suspected to have been misused by irresponsible parties to carry out fraud.

In a separate case, Loi said a retired female teacher suffered the same fate after losing RM160,000 to a non-existent online investment scam since July.

He said the victim came across an investment advertisement for Principal Malaysia 204 on Facebook, clicked the link, and subsequently dealt with an individual via WhatsApp.

“Initially, the victim invested RM224 and was promised RM23,000 in profit within three hours. The victim then transferred RM244 to a bank account at 2.59 pm on July 22.

“After three hours, she was informed that the investment yielded a return of RM23,000, but she was required to make various payments to withdraw the money,” he said.

Loi said the victim eventually made 49 fund transfers amounting to RM160,000 to 30 different accounts until Sept 3, before realising she had been cheated when informed by a friend.

The victim lodged a police report at the Kota Setar district police headquarters at 11.45 am yesterday, and the case is also being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code.

Loi advised the public to be more cautious of online investment offers and to verify with the police before making any transactions with unknown parties.

Checks can also be made through the Semak Mule app, the PDRM Commercial Crime Investigation Department Facebook page, or by contacting the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997.

-- BERNAMA