JOHOR BARU – Johor police have started tracking down the identity of an individual who had impersonated Tunku Mahkota of Johor (TMJ) Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim using a fake Instagram account ‘HRHCROWNPRINCEOFJOHOR’, purportedly to deceive his victims.
Johor deputy police chief M. Kumar said police had received a report about an impersonator at 2.35pm yesterday from the Johor royal palace media.
Kumar said that screenshots of messages from the Instagram account showed that the individual had sent messages seeking funds for business projects to several companies or business people, claiming that he was TMJ.
He added that initial investigations revealed that the individual had impersonated TMJ by using the original profile identity of TMJ when communicating with prospective victims.
“The modus operandi was to change the profile page and account of TMJ’s Instagram to convince victims that they were communicating with TMJ.
“Police believe the messages were sent to eight companies, and among the eight, some companies were convinced and had paid an undisclosed amount into the account that the individual had directed, purportedly to secure projects,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Kumar said police have initiated investigations into the case under Sections 419 and 420 of the Penal Code for fraud by impersonation and fraud.
He urged members of the public to verify the authenticity of messages received and not be duped by such scams.
“We urge those who have fallen victim to such scams to come forward and lodge reports to assist in police investigations. We will carry out a thorough investigation into such scams,” he said. – Bernama, February 22, 2023
