A WOMAN lecturer who had hoped to multiply her savings “in minutes” has instead lost almost RM1 million after falling for a bogus investment scheme that promised returns of up to 1,000 per cent.
The 40-year-old victim was drawn in by a widely shared Instagram advertisement offering to “learn stock trading” on 28 July. After clicking the link, she was connected to a suspect via WhatsApp.
Jasin District Police Chief Superintendent Lee Robert said the suspect enticed the victim with the guarantee of immediate profits and instructed her to download an application through a provided link, supposedly to register an investment account.
“Attracted by the offer, the victim took the drastic step of withdrawing her savings, borrowing from family members and securing a bank loan because she believed this investment could yield extraordinary returns,” he said in a statement last night.
Between 1 September and 18 October, she made 20 transactions into nine different bank accounts as directed by the suspect, amounting to RM914,758.82.
However, none of the promised profits—purportedly achievable within two to five minutes—ever materialised.
“Instead, the suspect demanded an additional RM20,000 as a ‘quarterly fee’ before the returns could supposedly be released,” Lee said.
Realising she had been scammed, the victim lodged a report at the Jasin Police Station on 23 November. The case is now being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
Lee urged the public to remain wary of any investment scheme promising extraordinary returns in implausibly short periods, especially when payments are channelled into personal bank accounts, a common hallmark of fraudulent operations.
He advised members of the public to verify suspicious bank accounts, phone numbers or companies through the Semak Mule portal and to contact the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) on 997 within 24 hours if they fall victim to a scam. - November 26, 2025
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