A RETIREE and a salesman have lost more than RM112,000 combined in separate online scams involving a Facebook investment advertisement and an alleged artificial intelligence (AI)-based side job offered by a woman he met on Instagram.
In the first case, a 64-year-old woman in Kajang lost more than RM34,000 after investing in a scheme advertised on Facebook.
A source said the woman came across the advertisement on Sept 15 and contacted the scheme’s representatives via WhatsApp for more information.
“After receiving an explanation, the victim agreed to register for the investment scheme and made an initial payment of RM350,” the source said.
The woman subsequently made several more transfers into the investment company’s account.
However, she continued to be asked to make additional payments despite having transferred the money, prompting her to suspect that she had been cheated.
She lodged a police report at Kajang police station on Monday for further action.
In the second case, a 23-year-old salesman lost more than RM78,000 after falling victim to a side-job scam allegedly operated through an AI-powered application.
The man, who was at his home in Sungai Long last month, met a woman on Instagram and later exchanged phone numbers with her before continuing their conversations on WhatsApp.
The source said the woman offered him part-time work through an AI technology application to fulfil customer requirements.
“After being given an explanation, the victim deposited money into the application to carry out the assigned tasks,” the source said.
The man initially managed to withdraw money from the application after completing the tasks.
He was subsequently offered a VIP package promising higher returns and transferred more than RM78,000 as requested.
However, when he tried to withdraw his money after completing the tasks, he was told to pay tax of about 20% to the Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia (IRB) first.
The source said the man realised he had been cheated when he was asked to pay the additional tax and found that he could not withdraw his money.
He lodged a police report at Kajang police station on Sunday for further action. - October 10, 2026
