KOTA SAMARAHAN: An administrative clerk from a private company has lost RM300,000 after falling victim to a non-existent investment scheme known as “AresMFC”.
The incident happened in June this year when the woman in her late 50s came across an investment advertisement while browsing Facebook at her workplace.
She clicked the link, which led her to an unknown woman posing as an investment agent on WhatsApp.
Sarawak Police Commissioner, Datuk Mancha Ata, said the victim was later added to a WhatsApp group called ‘No 11 VIP (BDD Profit Plan)’ and instructed to download an application named ‘AresMFC’ to start investing.
“Deceived by the scheme, the victim made multiple online transfers in stages to bank accounts provided by the suspect, amounting to RM300,000.
“The woman only realised she had been scammed after she could no longer contact the suspect and was unable to withdraw her investment balance.
“Until the police report was lodged, she had only managed to withdraw RM2,880,” he said.
The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property.
In light of this, Mancha reminded the public to only invest through legitimate platforms registered with Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) and the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC).
“Members of the public are advised to seek financial advice from registered agents before making any investment. Do not be easily deceived by schemes offering lucrative profits in a short period of time.
“They can check the list of unauthorised companies and websites at http://www.bnm.gov.my or contact BNMTELELINK at 1-300-88-5465 (BNM) and http://www.sc.com.my or 03-6204 8999 (SC),” he said.
He also urged those who have recently transferred funds to suspicious accounts to immediately contact the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997.
For the latest updates on scam tactics, Mancha encouraged the public to follow the Commercial Crime Investigation Department’s (CCID) official social media accounts at @JSJKPDRM and @CyberCrimeAlertRMP on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
