BUKIT MERTAJAM: A retired civil servant ended up RM229,800 poorer after falling for a non-existent investment scam.
The 62-year-old man lodged a report yesterday, claiming he had been deceived and conned.
Seberang Prai Tengah police chief Assistant Commissioner Helmi Aris said the victim’s ordeal started about 2.52pm on March 4 while he was home alone.
“The victim claimed to have received a call from an Indonesian woman, named Zizah. The woman told the victim that he would be coming to her house to repair her pipe. The victim, however, denied it.
“Since then, the victim and the woman (the suspect) had been in contact via telephone chat. Throughout their friendship, the suspect had invited the victim to learn about investment, which promises handsome returns within two days of investing.
“The suspect then sent a link for the victim to download the
‘TIMELESSWORLD.VIP.’ website. The victim showed interest after being promised fast returns,” he said in a statement.
Helmi said the victim performed seven transactions into five different bank accounts, starting with a small investment initially.
“The victim made some profits from his investments. He then started to believe the legitimacy of the investment and had conducted another seven transactions into the same bank accounts.
“After that, he did not receive any returns and the suspect could no longer be reached,” he added, noting that it was then the victim believed he had been cheated of RM229,800 in total.
The case is probed under Section 420 for cheating.
Helmi advised the public to always be cautious and avoid falling victim to non-existent investment scams.
“Always conduct thorough checks before joining any investment scheme, especially those that promise overly generous returns,” he said.
The public can obtain further information from official sources such as the Semak Mule CCID Portal, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) Alert List, and the Securities Commission (SC) before making any investment decisions.
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