MUKAH: A seafood advertisement on Facebook turned costly for a business owner after a single click on a suspicious link led to RM6,060 being siphoned from his bank account.
The 58-year-old victim, who runs an eatery here, came across the advertisement on Friday and contacted the advertiser to enquire about the products.
He was later instructed to click on a link to view the seafood menu.
But shortly after clicking it, his phone suddenly switched off.
When he managed to switch it back on, he discovered that his phone password had been changed, prompting him to check his bank account.
A visit to the bank counter found the shocking discovery — RM6,060 had been transferred to another bank account without his knowledge or consent.
The victim then lodged a police report at Mukah police station.
Mukah police chief DSP Muhamad Rizal Alias said the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating and dishonestly inducing the delivery of property.
Following this, he urged the public to be wary of suspicious links, particularly those shared through social media advertisements, and avoid downloading applications or granting phone access through unverified links.
The public are reminded to never to disclose their banking details, passwords, PINs or one-time passwords (OTPs) and transaction authorisation codes (TACs) to anyone.
