A 36-YEAR-OLD company director has been cheated out of RM167,050 after being lured into a fraudulent personal loan scheme advertised on Facebook, police said today.
Kota Tinggi district police chief Superintendent Yusof Othman said the victim lodged a report yesterday after realising he had been deceived by a syndicate posing as representatives of a local bank.
According to investigators, the scam began on May 21 when the victim came across an online advertisement offering a personal loan facility through Facebook.
“The case began on May 21, 2026, when the victim came across an advertisement related to a personal loan believed to be offered by a local bank,” Yusof said in a statement.
Police said the syndicate instructed the victim to make several payments allegedly required for loan conditions and approval procedures.
“The modus operandi of this loan syndicate involved asking the victim to make several payments as part of the loan requirements and approval process,” he said.
Believing the loan application was legitimate, the victim then transferred money in stages through nine separate transactions into nine different bank accounts.
“The victim made additional payments in stages, with the total amount transferred reaching RM167,050 in order to secure the approved RM500,000 loan, before eventually realising he had been cheated,” he added.
Police said the victim had been promised a RM500,000 loan before eventually discovering that the financing offer did not exist.
The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating, which carries severe penalties upon conviction.
Authorities have once again reminded the public to exercise caution when dealing with loan advertisements on social media platforms and to avoid making advance payments to unknown parties without verifying the legitimacy of the offer. - May 24, 2026
