SIBU: A local contractor ended up losing RM211,400 after he was enticed by the promise of sky-high returns in a stock investment scheme.
The victim, a man in his 40s, first stumbled upon the advertisement for an investment platform called ‘HPC View’ while scrolling through Facebook on Mar 16.
Intrigued, he clicked on the ad and was soon contacted via WhatsApp by a woman who introduced herself as ‘Tina’. She painted a picture of easy money through stock investments in Malaysia, Hong Kong, and China.
All the victim had to do was download the ‘HPC View’ app and register — and the profits, she claimed, would start rolling in.
Sibu police chief ACP Zulkipli Suhaili said the man was convinced by the pitch and began purchasing stocks through the app.
“Between Apr 30 and Jun 21, the victim transferred a total of RM211,400 via nine transactions to seven different local bank accounts provided by the suspect.
“In return, he only received RM6,000 in profit. Later, he was told that an additional RM960,153.24 in earnings was waiting — but to claim it, he first had to pay a 10 per cent tax,” he said.
Realising he had been scammed, the man lodged a police report yesterday (Jun 30) for further investigations under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property.
Zulkipli reminded the public that investment schemes promising fast or guaranteed profits are often traps.
He urged the public to verify any company or investment scheme through Bank Negara Malaysia at www.bnm.gov.my or via BNMTELELINK at 1-300-88-5465, and with the Securities Commission Malaysia at www.sc.com.my or 03-6204 8999.
Background checks can also be done using the SC Investment Checker app or website at https://www.sc.com.my/investment-checker.
For further advice or to report scams, the public can contact the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997, and follow the Facebook pages of @CyberCrimeAlertRMP and @JSJKPDRM for the latest updates on scams.
