MIRI: A 64-year-old woman lost RM1.17 million after falling victim to a “love scam” that began on TikTok.
Miri police chief ACP Mohd Farhan Lee Abdullah said a report was lodged on Wednesday (Apr 15), involving the retiree from the district.
He said the victim was initially contacted by the suspect via TikTok before the conversation moved to WhatsApp after she shared her phone number.
“The suspect, posing as a foreign national using another person’s photo and edited documents, gained the victim’s trust and later claimed to be involved in a mining project.
“He then persuaded the victim to make advance payments and cover project-related costs, citing issues with his bank account being frozen or hacked.
“Believing the claims, the victim made 59 transactions to nine third-party accounts, amounting to RM1,173,700,” he said in a statement.
Mohd Farhan said the victim only realised she had been deceived after informing her family members, before lodging a police report.
The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code.
