By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, July 28: A 69-year-old local man from Miri lost RM367,300 to a non-existent investment scam.
In a statement, Miri police chief ACP Mohd Farhan Lee Abdullah said that the victim came across an advertisement for the ‘investment’ on social media.
He clicked the provided link and spoke with an individual who claimed to be an investment agent, using the phone number 011-74389532.
Enticed by the investment scheme, which promised high returns in a short period, the victim made 48 fund transfers to three bank accounts between June 9 and July 20 this year, totalling RM367,300.
“He realised he had been scammed after the suspect repeatedly gave various excuses when he attempted to claim the promised investment returns,” he said.
The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code, which carries a punishment of imprisonment for not less than one year and up to 10 years, as well as whipping and a fine.
Anyone with information related to the case is urged to contact the investigating officer, Insp Tasman Hukman, at 014-8618690.
Meanwhile, he also advised the public to remain vigilant and not to be easily persuaded by investment advertisements promising high returns within a short period, and to verify the legitimacy of investment schemes with Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) and the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) through their investor alert lists before investing.
The public is also encouraged to contact the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) by dialling 997 if they have fallen victim to cyber scams—including phone scams, love scams, e-commerce scams, non-existent loan scams, and similar frauds—and have just transferred money to a mule account or a scam syndicate.
“In addition, the public can check suspicious phone numbers and bank account numbers through the CCID Check Scammers service or the Semak Mule website before carrying out any financial transaction.
“PDRM also encourages the public to follow the Facebook pages of the Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID), Cyber Crime Alert Royal Malaysia Police, and Commercial Crime Investigation Department Sarawak to stay informed about the latest scam tactics,” he said. — DayakDaily
