POLICE in Johor have received twelve reports regarding online cryptocurrency investment fraud through the Accerx online portal with total losses amounting to more than RM5 million.
Johor police chief M Kumar said that they received reports lodged by local citizens aged between 46 and 71 claiming to have fallen victim to investment fraud.
“Between January 3 and yesterday, the Johor police received and conducted investigations into twelve reports made by individuals claiming to be victims of investment fraud.
“All the victims claimed to have seen advertisements related to cryptocurrency investments on social media sites that offered high profits in a short time.
“A victim who then clicked on the given link would then be taken to a WhatsApp group where they were given information about the investment offered and the profit to be made,” he said in a statement today.
He said the victims also downloaded and registered on the Accerx website to monitor their respective investments.
As a result of being deceived by the promised profit, the victims made payments to the accounts directed for the purpose of purchasing cryptocurrency.
“According to the victims, when they checked on the Accerx website, it showed that their investments had resulted in multiple profits, and they wanted to withdraw the profits.
“Nevertheless, the victims began to suspect something amiss because the profit money failed to be released for various reasons,” he said.
They were asked to make a certain amount of payment before the profit money would be paid out. If they failed to pay, their investment money would be forfeited, they were told.
“The victims then believed they were being cheated and filed police reports with losses ranging from RM177,000 to RM1,780,000 per person,” Kumar said.
He also said that the case is being investigated according to Section 420 of the Penal Code for “cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property”.
At the same time, Kumar advised the public to get information related to latest commercial crimes’ modus operandi by following the Commercial Crime Investigation Department’s social media accounts such as on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
“In addition, the public is also requested to use the ‘Semak Mule’ online service before making any payment and download the ‘Whoscall’ application to reduce the risk of becoming a victim of fraud.
“If you are a victim of fraud, contact the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) by dialling 997 as soon as possible as an initial action to block the outflow of money,” he said. – The Vibes, January 28, 2024
