SIBU: A 50-year-old man in Sibu has fallen victim to a forex scam, resulting in the loss of his entire life savings amounting to RM485,320.
Sibu police chief ACP Zulkipli Suhaili said the victim had lodged a report on Tuesday (May 23) claiming he was cheated by a syndicate.
“The victim said he had joined a chat group that offered forex investment opportunities in Hong Kong.
He was promised two-fold profits from his investments,” Zulkipli said in a statement today.
Intrigued by the potential returns, the victim proceeded to download the “Meta Traders 4” application and invested an initial amount of RM20,000.
“Afterward, he noticed that the app displayed a total profit of RM533,400, including his initial investment.
“However, to withdraw the accumulated amount, the victim was informed that he needed to make additional deposits,” he said.
Zulkipli said over the course of several transactions from November 2022 to March 2023, the victim transferred a total of RM485,320 to two separate accounts.
“His intention was to obtain his capital and the promised profit of USD$127,000, equivalent to approximately RM533,400.
“The victim became suspicious when he was requested to deposit an additional RM11,000 to cover the expenses of “agent traders” who would supposedly visit Sibu to meet him,” he said.
The victim then consulted his lawyer, who confirmed that he had fallen prey to a fraudulent scheme.
Zulkipli urged the public to check with Bank Negara Malaysia before making any online investments in order to avoid falling victims to syndicates.
The police chief reminded the public to check the suspect’s phone number and bank account through Check Scammers CCID or https://semakmule.rmp.gov.my before making any transactions.
They can contact the CCID Scam Response Centre at 03-26101559 or 03-26101599 to get advice or channel information regarding cyber-crime cases.
They can also follow Facebook pages of @CyberCrimeAlertRMP and @JSJKPDRM to get the latest information on the scammer’s modus operandi.
