SIBU, July 18: A woman was cheated of RM3,000 by a scammer who impersonated her neighbour on WeChat.
Sibu district police chief assistant commissioner Zulkipli Suhaili said on July 15, the victim received a message on WeChat by the scammer pretending to be her neighbour asking for a loan of RM3,000.
“She then asked her son to transfer the money through two DuitNow transfer transactions,” he added.
The next day the victim called her neighbour but was shocked when she learnt that her neighbour had never sent a message to borrow money.
Zulkipli said the victim then lodged a police report on Saturday (July 16) evening after realising she had been cheated when her neighbour claimed his WeChat account had been hacked by a stranger.
In this regard, Zulkipli reminded the public to be more vigilant and not easily believe messages received purportedly from their contacts who want to borrow money.
He said it may be the latest tactic of scammers who use pictures of friends or acquaintances to cheat.
“People need to confirm first by calling their real phone number. They should also need to be careful in sharing personal information on social media so as not to be misused by fraud syndicates,” he advised.
The public may also contact the CCID scam response centre at 03-26101559 or 03-26101599, or use the mule check application at http://semakmule.rmp.gov.my and follow their Facebook page @cybercrimealertrmp or @jsjkpdrm for more information. — DayakDaily
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