KUCHING – A 66-year-old real estate agency director here has become the latest victim of an investment scam after losing RM1.5 million between April 14 and May 29 this year.
Sarawak police commissioner Datuk Mohd Azman Ahmad Sapri, in a statement today, said the female victim told police that she met a man on Facebook in April this year.
“The suspect, who claimed to be a Singaporean but is working in Hong Kong, managed to influence the victim to make an investment in a business on TikTok,” he said, adding that the victim was also infatuated with the suspect after a week of conversing via WhatsApp.
Azman said the victim was told that she would get a 9% return from the investment.
“To get the business started, the victim was instructed to make a total of 185 payment transactions to 21 different bank accounts totalling to RM1.5 million between April 14 and May 29 this year.”
The victim, he said, only realised that she was scammed after the suspect insisted that she invest more money into the “business”.
Meanwhile, Azman said a total of 93 scam cases involving losses amounting to RM8.2 million have been recorded between January 1 and May 30 this year, as compared to 74 cases involving losses totalling RM5.4 million in the same period last year.
“For investment scams, police have carried out 25 arrests this year as compared to only 15 arrests last year,” he said, adding that 37 of the investigation papers have seen charges pressed in court.
Azman also advised the public to not easily fall victim to scams.
“Do not get influenced by advertisements or offers on social media on investment opportunities that promise high returns,” he said.
He added that the public should also not give out personal banking details or make online payments to anyone who they do not recognise or have recently met online.
Those who suspect that they have been scammed are advised to call the National Scam Response Centre at 997 for assistance. – Borneo Post Online, May 31, 2023
