MIRI: A businessman’s casual reply to a wrong WhatsApp message about a car repair ended in disaster when he was cheated of RM165,750 in an online investment scam.
The incident happened on Sept 23 when the victim, in his early 40s, received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number asking whether his car had been repaired.
After the sender admitted to contacting the wrong number, they continued chatting, and the suspect — believed to be a woman — later introduced him to an investment opportunity through an application known as AIGOU.
The suspect claimed the app functioned as an online sales platform where users could sell goods supplied by “suppliers” within the app.
Miri police chief ACP Mohd Farhan Lee Abdullah said the victim was told to make payments to these suppliers to process customer orders and earn profits.
“Believing the offer to be genuine, the man made 18 transactions into four different bank accounts — three under RHB Bank and one under Maybank — totalling RM165,750.
“However, the victim only realised he had been scammed after he was unable to withdraw his supposed profits.”
The man lodged a police report on Oct 6 and the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
In light of this, members of the public are reminded to stay alert and not be easily influenced by online investment schemes that promise high returns in a short period.
ACP Mohd Farhan also urged the public to verify the legitimacy of such offers through Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) at www.bnm.gov.my or Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) at www.sc.com.my.
The public may also contact the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997, or check suspicious bank accounts and phone numbers via http://semakmule.rmp.gov.my.
