FOR many years, both during my service and even after I left, people have contacted me with almost the same story.
Usually, it begins with a woman telling me about her boyfriend whom she met through Facebook or another social-media platform.
He is handsome. He appears successful. He lives or works overseas, perhaps in the United States, United Kingdom or another Western country. They communicate regularly. Feelings develop. Eventually, he tells her that they are going to get married.
Then comes the parcel.
He tells her that he has sent her a valuable package containing a large amount of money, sometimes USD10,000, USD50,000 or even more. Sometimes there are supposedly expensive watches, gold rings or other valuable gifts inside.
Then the phone call comes.
Someone claiming to be a Customs officer, Customs agent, courier manager or other authority tells her that the parcel has arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) but has been detained.
“Payment is required before we can release it.”
The victim pays.
Then another call comes.
“There is another problem. You need to pay more.”
She pays again.
And again.
What began as thousands of ringgits can eventually become tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands and, in some cases, even millions.
Then, suddenly, the calls stop.
The supposed Customs officer disappears. The telephone number cannot be reached.
The boyfriend may also disappear.
Only then does the victim realise that the parcel she was waiting for never existed.
She was the parcel.
Her trust, emotions and money were the real targets.
I have encountered this pattern many times. Most of the people who contacted me were women — single women, single mothers, widows and, surprisingly, even married women.
I say this not to blame women. Love scams do not discriminate. Men can also become victims.
The important point is that scammers do not begin by asking for money. They begin by asking for trust.
They build a relationship first. They listen. They flatter. They promise companionship and marriage. They create a future that exists only in the victim’s imagination.
Then they introduce the money.
Sometimes the photographs shown to the victim look completely genuine. The man may look exceptionally handsome and successful. But today, with stolen photographs, image manipulation, face-swapping and artificial intelligence, a photograph is no longer proof of identity.
The police have warned that scammers are increasingly using AI-generated images, voices and videos to create convincing identities. Official statistics show that love scams are also evolving and increasingly moving into other forms of fraud, including parcel scams.
The numbers are frightening.
Malaysia recorded 770 love-scam cases involving RM45.9 million in losses in 2024. In 2025, the number rose to 929 cases, with losses of about RM47.4 million. In just the first six months of 2026, another 582 cases were recorded, involving more than RM24 million.
And this is only the reported figure. How many victims remain silent because they are embarrassed, ashamed or afraid that their families will find out?
Recently, a woman in Labuan lost RM112,500 after developing an online relationship with a man claiming to be a pilot from the United States. She was later contacted by someone claiming to be a delivery company manager who said her parcel had been detained and required several payments to facilitate its release.
That story is painfully familiar.
It is also a reminder that this is not an imaginary problem.
It is happening now.
And there is another reason I am writing this.
Because over the years, I have received calls from victims asking me to contact Customs at KLIA to release their parcels.
I have had to tell them the truth:
There is no parcel to release.
By the time they call me, they have often already transferred substantial amounts of money.
Unfortunately, making a police report is important, but it does not guarantee that the money will be recovered.
So please remember a few simple rules.
If someone you have never met in person suddenly declares love and promises marriage, slow down.
If that person claims to be overseas and asks you for money, stop.
If someone says a parcel containing millions, gold, cash or expensive gifts is being detained at an airport and asks you to transfer money to a personal bank account, stop immediately.
And if someone claims to represent Customs or another government agency, verify through the agency’s official channels. Do not rely on a telephone number supplied by the caller.
The Royal Malaysia Police itself advises the public to be cautious when anyone impersonating an authority instructs them to transfer money and says such instructions must be verified through official channels.
Love should bring happiness, not financial destruction.
A genuine relationship should never require you to prove your love by transferring money to strangers.
And no genuine love story begins with:
“Pay the Customs officer first, and then you can have your parcel.”
I have told this story many times over the years.
Perhaps this will be my last open message on the subject.
Not because I do not care.
Quite the opposite.
I am tired of seeing people lose their savings, their dignity, their family relationships and sometimes their hope because they believed that someone they met online truly loved them.
So, before you send another ringgit to someone you have never met, ask yourself one simple question:
Am I in love with a person or with a story that someone has created for me?
If there is one thing I hope this article achieves, it is this:
Don’t wait until the parcel disappears to discover that love was never real.
The views expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of Sarawak Tribune. The writer can be reached at alimimpira@yahoo.com
