KUCHING: A housewife in her 40s has lost nearly RM39,000 to an online part-time job scam that lured her through a recruitment advertisement on Facebook.
The case was exposed by Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Public Complaints Bureau chief Milton Foo on Saturday.
The victim first came across the advertisement on April 1. After clicking on it, she was redirected to a WhatsApp chat with a so-called customer service representative, who instructed her to log in to a “work account” and begin “booking orders” for hotels — a task framed as straightforward part-time employment.
She was told to remit money to the platform for each order and that her commission would be released once she submitted a screenshot of the transfer to customer service.
The scammers assured her that a financial department would verify each transaction before crediting her earnings to her bank account.
“The first time I got money, I also did it five or six times. After doing it, they keep saying that I still had orders that have not been completed,” the victim said.
The woman continued sending money to different bank accounts provided by the scammers. After numerous transfers, the promised commissions stopped arriving.
She was subsequently told that a technical problem with her work account was preventing payouts — and that if she chose to close the account without completing all outstanding orders, she would forfeit everything she had paid in.
Within just a few days, the victim made 13 separate online transfers totalling RM39,000. After she realised that she had been duped, she lodged a police report at the Siburan Police Station on April 8, and the case is now under investigation.
Foo cautioned the public to be deeply sceptical of any social media advertisement promising high earnings from part-time work, easy online loans at low interest, or high-return investment schemes.
“These are all unrealistic online frauds aiming to scam our hard-earned money. The scam victim not only has to suffer financial losses but sometimes even faces intimidation, threats, and extortion from fraudsters targeting them and their family members,” he said.
Foo, who has helmed the SUPP Public Complaints Bureau since 2022, said cumulative losses from online and telephone fraud reported to his bureau have now exceeded RM30 million.
