A HOUSEWIFE seeking additional income has been left nearly RM100,000 out of pocket after being deceived by a fraudulent online employment scheme that promised attractive returns for completing simple tasks.
The victim, aged 37, is believed to have been targeted by a syndicate operating a fake job recruitment scam after responding to an advertisement on Facebook on May 8.
Kuala Terengganu District Police Chief Assistant Commissioner Azli Mohd Noor said the woman clicked on a link contained in the advertisement and subsequently began communicating with an unknown individual through WhatsApp.
After being introduced to what appeared to be a legitimate part-time employment opportunity, the victim agreed to participate after being promised substantial supplementary earnings.
According to Azli, the woman was later instructed to join a Telegram group, where she was required to complete a series of assigned tasks and recruit additional contacts.
To build trust, the syndicate initially provided small payments that convinced the victim the scheme was genuine.
"The victim was asked to join a group on the Telegram application to add friends and was given several tasks, for which payment was also provided."
"For the first and second tasks, the victim received a return of RM85," he said.
Believing the operation to be legitimate, the victim continued carrying out further assignments and was instructed to make a series of payments to facilitate the purported work.
Between May 8 and May 18, she conducted seven separate transactions in stages to seven different bank accounts as directed by the scammers.
Despite making substantial transfers, she only received the RM85 commission paid for the initial tasks.
Azli said the victim ultimately realised she had been deceived after being contacted by another individual, leading her to recognise that she had become trapped in an online employment scam.
As a result of the fraud, the woman suffered losses amounting to RM95,715.
The funds transferred to the syndicate were reportedly drawn from personal savings belonging to the victim and her husband.
"In this case, the victim was also contacted by another individual before she realised that she had fallen victim to an online job scam syndicate."
"The financial source used was the victim's personal savings together with her husband's savings," he said.
The victim lodged a police report at the Kuala Terengganu Police Station at 6.02pm on Thursday.
Police have opened an investigation under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
The latest case highlights the continuing threat posed by online job scams, which frequently entice victims with promises of easy income and small initial rewards before persuading them to transfer increasingly large sums of money under the guise of completing tasks or unlocking commissions.
Authorities have repeatedly urged members of the public to verify employment offers, avoid transferring funds to unknown parties and exercise caution when responding to advertisements circulated through social media and messaging platforms. - June 12, 2026
