A WOMAN in Kota Tinggi lost RM119,599.24 after being deceived by a fake investment scheme promising quick and substantial returns.
Kota Tinggi district police chief Superintendent Yusof Othman said police received a report regarding the incident involving the 58-year-old victim on July 24.
He said investigations found that the victim was drawn into the scheme after seeing an investment advertisement on Facebook on July 19.
"The syndicate's modus operandi was to offer investment packages starting from RM300, with promises of returns of up to RM15,000 within two hours.
"After that, the victim was instructed to make several additional payments in stages, supposedly to enable the release of the investment profits that had been blocked," he said in a statement yesterday.
Yusof said the victim carried out eight money transfers to eight different bank accounts, amounting to RM119,599.24.
He said the victim only realised she had been cheated after failing to receive any of the promised returns despite making several payments.
The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
Yusof advised the public to remain vigilant against illegal or unregistered investment schemes, especially those promising high returns within a short period.
"The public is also advised to follow the official social media accounts of the Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) to obtain information on the latest commercial crime tactics.
"In addition, check bank account numbers through the Semak Mule service before making any transactions with unknown individuals and download the Whoscall application to reduce the risk of becoming a victim of fraud," he said.
He also reminded scam victims to immediately contact the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997 to allow early action to be taken to block the transfer of funds from suspects' accounts. - July 26, 2026
