A LOCAL civil servant has exhausted her personal savings after being systematically swindled out of 63,438 ringgit by an illicit online recruitment network operating through digital messaging platforms.
The 43-old woman, whose identity has been withheld by authorities, fell victim to the multi-layered employment scam over a five-day period after attempting to secure part-time work to augment her monthly income.
The theft was confirmed by the Kuala Terengganu District Police Chief, Assistant Commissioner Azli Mohd Noor, following the submission of a formal police report at the district headquarters on Monday evening.
The deceptive scheme initiated on 3 July when the victim received an unsolicited telephone call from an unidentified individual offering flexible, lucrative part-time employment opportunities.
Upon expressing interest, she was immediately funnelled into a private discussion forum hosted on the Telegram messaging application, where anonymous coordinators began directing her financial actions.
The criminal operation utilised a classic task-scam model, wherein the victim was initially instructed to execute capital transfers to specific, third-party bank accounts under the pretext of completing administrative assignments.
Following the initial transactions, handlers informed the woman that her accrued commissions had been locked, asserting that further cash deposits were mandatory to release both her principal funds and promised earnings.
Driven by the desire to recover her mounting financial investments, the civil servant subsequently carried out eighteen separate electronic transfers into an array of differing corporate and personal bank accounts provided by the syndicate.
Despite fulfilling every successive monetary demand made by the operators, the promised compensation failed to materialise, prompting the victim to realise she had been thoroughly deceived before seeking police intervention.
A preliminary investigation by the commercial crime division has revealed that the entire sum compromised during the week-long ordeal was drawn directly from the victim's personal nest egg.
The police have formally classified the incident under Section 420 of the Penal Code, which governs offenses relating to cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property.
Local police have renewed their public appeals for heightened vigilance regarding unverified digital employment offers, warning that syndicates are increasingly targeting stable income earners through encrypted communication channels. - July 7, 2026
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