MIRI: Two residents have fallen victim to online scams, losing a combined total of more than RM200,000, police confirmed today.
District Police Chief, ACP Mohd Farhan Abdullah, said the cases, reported on October 17, involved a woman in her early 40s and a man in his early 30s.
In the first case, the woman responded to a Facebook advertisement promising high-return investments.
She was later contacted via WhatsApp by a ‘broker’ named Angeline using the number 013-2761503.
Drawn by the promise of quick profits, she transferred RM136,000 to multiple bank accounts provided by the suspect.
She later paid an additional RM96,000 as “processing fees” for capital and profit withdrawals. Despite the payments, she never received any returns.
“The total financial loss in this case is RM208,000,”Farhan said, urging the public to exercise caution with online investment offers.
In the second case, a man reported receiving calls from individuals impersonating police officers, a tactic commonly known as a “phone scam”.
Details of the financial loss were not disclosed.
Police warned the public not to trust unsolicited investment offers or calls claiming to be law enforcement.
Verification can be made through Bank Negara Malaysia’s Financial Consumer Alert List at www.bnm.gov.my/financial-consumer-alert-list or the Securities Commission Malaysia at www.sc.com.my/investor-alerts.
