KELANTAN police have received 94 reports involving a “three-corner” online scam, with 66 investigation papers opened as criminals misuse genuine sellers’ advertisements to deceive online buyers.
Kelantan police chief Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mamat said 75 of the reports involved buyers who had been duped, while 19 were lodged by genuine sellers whose advertisements had been misused by the criminals.
“Tumpat recorded the highest number of reports with 35, followed by Kota Bharu with 22,” he said in a statement on Sunday.
Mohd Yusoff said the scammers copied or used details from genuine advertisements before approaching buyers and posing as the sellers.
The buyers were then instructed to make payments into accounts controlled by the scammers, without realising they were dealing with impostors.
“The criminals receive the payment, the buyer suffers the loss and the genuine seller is dragged into a transaction of which they have no knowledge.
“Among the goods recorded in the reports were motorcycles, cars, four-wheel-drive vehicles and mobile phones,” he said.
He said investigations were ongoing to identify and arrest the suspects involved.
Mohd Yusoff advised the public not to rush into making payments, particularly when goods were offered at unusually low prices.
“Ensure that the seller’s identity, ownership of the goods and the payment recipient’s account genuinely match before proceeding with the transaction.
“Remember, the goods may genuinely exist, but the person you are dealing with may be a criminal,” he said.
Those who have made a transaction and subsequently realised they have been scammed should immediately contact the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997 and lodge a police report. - September 20, 2026
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